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IR summary: LDPR security services actively “prepare” for elections in Ukraine
02.02.2019 - 12:16

Operational data group "Information Resistance"

Russian occupation forces continue to shell the positions of JF units, as well as settlements near the demarcation line. The average number of attacks and armed provocations of the occupiers is up to 10 per day.

The shelling is conducted mainly with provocative aims, as well as for opening the system of organizing and firing in the advanced defensive JF units. In some cases, the enemy opens fire with the aim to inflict fire damage on the advanced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and holding fire initiatives on certain sectors of the front line.

During the current week, the occupation forces continued to conduct a comprehensive active reconnaissance and monitoring of the front line and the closest tactical rear of the JF in order to clarify the combat order of the Ukrainian forward units. In addition, the intensification of the invaders' reconnaissance in relation to objects and targets in the depth of the operational order of the JF was noted. First of all, the enemy’s reconnaissance is interested in command and control posts, storage sites for logistic items (fuel, ammunition, and consumables), parking and storage areas for military equipment and weapons. Also, enemy has an "interest" in the mode of their operation, storage and establishment of areas of responsibility.

Activation of the EW and air reconnaissance with the help of UAVs is also noted. Directly on the front line and in the neutral zone, an active "sniper war" continues. Occupants on separate parts of the front line carry out hidden mining / demining, and active work is carried out by the special operation teams.

Recently, the practice of the so-called “hog hunting” —the conduct the ambush of the mobile fire group (special operation team) — has become widespread on both sides in an area where the enemy’s communications close to the front line (usually in the neutral zone or directly on the front line) and sudden shelling on vehicles, armored vehicles and other mobile targets of the enemy, moving on these communications, from a previously prepared position by anti-tank systems (less RPG).

Other military activities:

- The command of the 2nd Army Corps “LPR” conducts on a rotational basis combat reconciliation of tank companies from the composition of tank battalions of motorized rifle brigades of the Army Corps and a separate tank battalion “Pantsir” with live firing at the training ground in the area of Shimshinovka. The presence of at least 12 T-64 type tanks and 4 units of T-72 type tanks are noted at the training ground. Practiced actions both in the offensive and in defense are trained;

- The engineering improvement of the positions of the occupation forces in the Pervomaiskoe fortified defense area continues. The equipment of the new disguised firing positions is marked in the area south-west of the settlement (Kalinovo-Borshevatoye district), as well as north-east (area of railway station 1010 km);

- In the area of Krest (Debaltsevo), the movement of 3 trucks with communication antennas (OP, communication station or EW), 1 truck Ural and 1 BTR-80 was recorded. The column moved from Gorlovka to Alchevsk;

- From the side of Snezhnoe, active movement of army vehicles was recorded in the direction of Torez-Shakhtersk-Zugres-Makeevka for a couple of days. There are at least 3 separate columns (more than 10 units of equipment in each). Composition - mainly BMP and MT-LB;

- in the area of Pantelemonovka and Pyatikhatki, there was a movement of small mixed groups of armored vehicles of the occupation units and single vehicles during the week, 3-4 units each (mostly various armored vehicles of BMP, BTR and MT-LB type). A group of 3 trucks Ural and 1 MT-LB, transported 120 mm mortars towards Gorlovka, attracted attention;

- The occupiers are reinforcing their units in the Verkhneshirokovskoe - Zaichenko area, the movement of trucks with manpower to the north was noted.

After a series of checks in training centers and in units performing combat missions at the front line, HQs of 1st “DPR” Army Corps (OTC “Donetsk”) sent an order to the subordinate brigades and regiments about the need for more careful selection of personnel for snipers. As it turned out during the checks, in the parts of the occupying troops, the practice of “writing up” all kinds of rabble into snipers is widespread, which “... by their moral and business qualities and physical indicators are not able to perform the duties of a full-time sniper ...”. Due to the lack of careful selection by the responsible persons in the units, "unfit" fighters have to be sifted out from the position of snipers during the training process or even directly in the units.

The HQs of the 1st “DPR” and the 2nd “LPR” Army Corps sent orders to subordinate units and demanding that they stop stealing fuel and begin to build up its reserves directly in the brigades and regiments. The supply of units with fuel exclusively “off the wheel” is called “vicious practice”, and, according to the opinion and estimates of staff curators, the volumes of supplied fuel can not only ensure the daily livelihood of units, but also allow it to be “stored” in conditions of the absence of active hostilities and significant movements of military equipment and vehicles. At least, that the quantity and volume of supplied fuel to both Army Corps from the Russian Federation, according to the calculations of the Russian curators, "is more than sufficient for these purposes."

The Russian military leadership has been tasked “military enlistment offices” of the “DPR” and “LPR” to “intensify agitation and advertising work” to recruit new parties of “candidates for military service on a contract basis” to serve in both Army Corps of the occupation forces from among local residents. First of all, attention is paid to carrying out such work "... in educational institutions, enterprises and organizations that are at the stage of reform".

The leadership of the “MGB DPR” and the “MGB LPR” have got the order from the FSB curators to ensure the greatest possible influence on the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine. We are talking about the "psychological treatment" of immigrants through various channels (primarily through relatives and friends who remained in LDPR), as well as local residents who are ready to go to participate in the elections to the unoccupied territory of Ukraine. It is also prescribed to “influence in the right way” on the population of the adjacent unoccupied districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine with the help of active propaganda (using both controlled media and agents) and the so-called “Humanitarian program for the reunification of the people of Donbas”. Thus, in the next 2 months, the occupiers will actively try to influence on the will of the free part of Donbas.

IR
 
IR summary: a new batch of Russian gunners will arrive "for training" to the Donbas
12.02.2019 - 15:10

Operational data group "Information Resistance"

In the period from 5 to 11 February this year, the intensity of fire strikes from the occupying troops of the Russian Federation in the Donbas on the positions of the Ukrainian troops and settlements in the territory controlled by Ukraine has increased significantly. In total, during this period, the artillery units of the 1st and 2nd operational groups of the Russian occupation forces carried out about 65 fire attacks (about 50 for the past week period) by 120/82 mm mortars, 122-mm portable rocket launchers Grad-P, large-caliber machine guns , small arms and grenade launchers.

The enemy's advanced units were reinforced by snipers and TOW squads, which were active in the Popasnya and Severodonetsk areas.

The most intense enemy’s fire strikes were inflicted on the positions of the Ukrainian troops in the area of next settlements: Stanitsa Luganskaya, Khutor Volniy, Novotoshkovskoe, Travnevoe, Zhovanka, Lebedinskoe, Novoluganskoye, Opytnoe, Svetlodarsk, Aydar, Peski, Avdeevka, Starognatovka, Nevelskoye, Yekaterinovka, Novomikhaylovka, Crimskoe, Pavlopol, Charmalyk, Zaytsevo, Yuzhnoye, Troitskoe, Vodyanoe, Gnutovo and Shyrokino.

The enemy continued to conduct active aerial reconnaissance with aim to identify changes in the combat orders of the Joint Forces using UAVs. In the period from 5 to 11 February this year, 17 reconnaissance flights of the UAV with entry into the operational-tactical depth of the JF were recorded. Particular enemy’s attention is focused on the opening the control system, clarifying the operational situation, as well as identifying changes in the battle order and the locations of the JF reserves.

Also, the use of UAV "Eleron" by occupants in the area near Konstantinovka was fixed. This type of UAV is part of the short-range complex of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance, and it was developed by the Russian enterprise JSC “ENIKS” (Russia, Kazan). The complex of this type began to enter to service in units and divisions of the RF Armed Forces of the Central Military District in the first half of 2015.

The enemy’s on-duty artillery crews were in a state of constant combat readiness for conducting fire strikes against the JF battle orders. They were trained daily to work on deployment and advance to firing positions for conducting fire strikes against the Joint Forces, as well as false artillery positions were equipped.

Active activity of the enemy's sniper and maneuverable EW groups along the entire contact line continues to be fixed.

Until February 16 this year, the commission of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces continues to work in 2nd Army Corps “LPR” on checking all-round support, living conditions of personnel, adherence to secrecy, the presence and technical condition of military equipment both at points of permanent deployment and at forward positions.

During February 4-5 of this year, training camps were held with spotters of artillery units of 1st Army Corps “DPR” at the “Pokrovsky” training ground with aim to improve the skills of aimed fire.

According to the unified plan of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, from February 5 to 15 this year, trainings are held with the commanders of battalions and divisions 1st and 2nd Army Corps LDPR at the “Vostochny” training ground to work out the issues of organizing interaction and personnel management under the conditions of combat operations in urban environments.

February 7-8 of this year, planned combat training activities were conducted with the personnel of units 1st and 2nd Army Corps “LDPR” at the “Centralny”, “Slavny”, “Peredovoy”, “Udaloy” training grounds, including training with artillery crews and mechanics drivers driving vehicles on rough terrain.

In addition, on February 7 of this year, demonstrative off-schedule battalion-tactical exercises were conducted with units of 2nd Army Corps “LPR” at the “Centralny” training ground with the active involvement of the Russian media. Practiced questions of defensive combat with a further transition to the counteroffensive were trained. Representatives of the integrated commission from the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces and the command of 2nd Army Corps "LPR" controlled and supervised the event.

From 6 to 14 February, sports competitions are held in Lugansk between representatives of security structures of the so-called “LPR”, “DPR” and “South Ossetia”.

The command of 2nd Army Corps "LPR" forms a separate battalion of at least 260 servicemen. During selection board for military service, preference is given to those who has with experience in warfare, especially carefully checked the level of loyalty to the so-called "current government of the LPR".

February 8-9 of this year, a scheduled change of radio data was carried out in radio networks and radio communication lines of the tactical level of the control and notification system of 1st and 2nd Army Corps LDPR.

In the period from 5 to 11 February this year, confirmed losses of the Russian occupation forces in the Donbas amounted to 10 people:

1st Army Corps – 9th separate assault regiment of naval infantry (Novoazovsk) - 4 servicemen, 11th separate mechanized regiment (Donetsk) – 1 serviceman.

2nd Army Corps – 4th separate mechanized brigade (Alchevsk) - 3 servicemen, 6thseparate mechanized regiment (Kadeevka) - 2 servicemen.

To ensure the activities of units of 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the operational group of the Russian occupation forces, approximately 2,000 tons of fuel and lubricants were delivered from the territory of Russia (railway stations Rovenky and railway stations Voznesenovka) from February 5 to 11 of this year.

At the end of February, the arrival of graduates of artillery military educational institutions of the RF Ministry of Defense is expected in the occupied territory of the Donbas to perform “test shooting” and “general military training”. Approximately "training" will be held until mid-March this year. Given the presence of modern counter-battery radars in the framework of the US military assistance provided by the US military, the Ukrainian Armed Forces could provide an adequate response and help the Russian military "successfully" complete the "training".

The occupation authorities of the “DPR” prohibit local entrepreneurs to pay their employees a salary above 12,000 rubles. Similar restrictions were introduced in the "public sector". This order is caused by the need to maintain the "prestigious" level of the monetary support of the militants (about 15,000 rubles) - that is higher than civilian salaries in order to attract the local population to the ranks of the occupying forces.

The International Committee of the Red Cross sent humanitarian aid to LDPR. However, part of the provided humanitarian aid was repacked and handed out by the occupying Russian authorities to residents of the occupied territories from the “Helping Hand” foundation (Donetsk) whose main activity is to help the families of the dead “DPR” militants.

IR REFERENCE. The “Helping Hand” Charitable Foundation was created in March 2018 as part of the “Program of social support for invalid military personnel and families of dead servicemen of the DPR” signed by A. Zakharchenko. The Foundation led O.A. Kravtsova, the mother of a militant killed in 2015 near Debaltsevo. The foundation began operations in May 2018. The address of the foundation is Donetsk, blvd. Pushkin, 34 (building "House of the Government of the DPR"), room. 102, another representative office of the fund - at the address: Donetsk, Artem Street, 97.

The occupation authorities of LDPR received an order from the Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development S.Nazarov (he also directs the so-called “interdepartmental commission of the Russian Federation on humanitarian aid to LDPR”, being their curator) to “correct” the request for financial and logistical assistance from Russia for 2019 in the direction of its radical reduction. According to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Russian “assistance” to the occupied areas of Donbas in all directions amounted to about $ 4 billion in 2018.

IR
 
19.02.19 10:54
12 attacks against JFO positions yesterday as terrorists employ 122-mm artillery, 120- and 82-mm mortars, ATGMs, IFVs


Feb. 18, Russian occupying forces violated the cease-fire 12 times, while 10 of them involved the use of 122-mm artillery systems, 120- and 82-mm mortars. Overall the enemy fired 117 shells and mortars. The attacks at Ukrainian strong points also involved anti-tank missile systems, infantry fighting vehicles, various types of grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms.


Censor.NET reports referring to the JFO press center Facebook page.

As reported, within the action area of Skhid semistrategic group the enemy committed six attacks at the JFO positions with

- 122-mm artillery, anti-tank guided missiles and heavy machine guns - in the area of Lebedynske;

- 122-mm artillery and 120-mm mortars and anti-tank grenade launchers - near Vodiane village;

- IFV cannon and anti-tank grenade launchers - near the village of Opytne;

- with automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms - around Pavlopil;

- with small arms - in the vicinity of of Marinka.

Read more: Ukraine SOF eliminate four saboteurs, capture one, - JFO press center

Within the action area of Pivnich semistrategic group the terrorists committed another six attacks with:

- 120- and 82-mm mortars, anti-tank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns - in the area of Katerynivka;

- 120- and 82-mm mortars - near Novotoshkivske;

- 82-mm mortars - near the village of Travneve;

- heavy machine guns - near Krymske.

The attacks left four Ukrainian soldier wounded, according to the report. The Joint Forces used weapons on call to retaliate the enemy’s provocations.

Intelligence sources indicate nine invaders were eliminated, one was captured on Feb. 18.

After midnight, the enemy committed three attacks with anti-tank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms in the area of Hnutove (Skhid semistrategic group action area); with 82-mm mortars and anti-tank grenade launchers near Katerynivka (Pivnich semistrategic group action area).



19.02.19 1:34 PM
The situation is getting aggravated: the enemy released 213 art-shots for the defenders of Water One in 1.5 hours, - Gutsulyak

From the beginning of the current day, as of 12:00, there have been 6 targeted shelling attacks by the Russian occupation forces on the line of military contact. At the same time, the enemy continues to deliberately use weapons samples prohibited by the Minsk agreements. On the coastal direction there is a further worsening of the situation.
According to Tsenzor. There is no PR with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Defense, said the department’s spokesman Colonel Dmitry Gutsulyak.

"From 04:20 within 20 minutes from the direction of the occupied village, the Youth opponent released 8 min. 82 mm caliber and fired LNG at our defenders Katerinovka. In addition, at 08:00 am, within 15 minutes the enemy fired 4 more mines 82-mm caliber on our defenders Novozvanovki ", - he said.

Hutsulyak noted that at night the enemy twice used grenade launchers and other infantry weapons in the units of the combined forces near Gnutovo, and in the morning the Russian occupation forces deliberately conducted massive artillery shelling of the positions of the defenders of Ukraine.

Read on "Tsenzor.NET": Enemy hit 12 times a day at the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine using 122-mm artillery, 120- and 82-mm mortars, anti-tank systems and infantry fighting vehicles, 4 Ukrainian soldiers were wounded, 9 terrorists were killed,

"From 07:00 to 09:20, from the direction of the occupied village of Bezymyannoye, the enemy carried out 40 volleys of 122-mm caliber artillery against our defenders Lebedinsky. And over the courageous defenders of Water, from 07:10, for one and a half hours, the Russian occupation forces carried out 213 (!) 122mm artillery rounds, ”he said.

According to the speaker of the Ministry of Defense, the defenders of Ukraine several times, adequately using the fire weapons on duty, forced the occupants to continue to observe the regime of silence.

"According to available information, since the beginning of the current day, there are no losses among our Ukrainian heroes as a result of active hostilities and continuing Russian armed aggression," added Gutsulyak.
 
IR summary: MGB DPR requires declaring war on YouTube from the command of 1st Army Corps

15:35 | 15.03.2019

Operational data group “Information Resistance”

In connection with the announced “spring truce”, the number of shelling and armed provocations by the Russian occupation forces in the Donbas has drastically decreased. Mostly shelling from the occupiers, which are fixed in separate areas, are sporadic and carried out with the use of automatic small arms (grenade launchers, both handle and mounted, as well as heavy machine guns, are occasionally recorded). Basically shelling was recorded in the area of Avdeevka, Marinka, Popasnaya and in the Mariuopol direction.

The enemy’s advanced units were reinforced by snipers and squads of anti-tank missile systems. Also, the enemy continues to actively conduct aerial reconnaissance in order to detect changes in the battle formations of the JF using UAVs. The enemy focused particular attention on opening the control system, clarifying the operational situation, identifying changes in the battle formations and the location of the operational reserves in the Avdeevka and Mariupol sectors. The active activity of the enemy’s EW maneuver groups continues to be noted along the entire contact line.

The enemy’s on-duty artillery crews are in a state of constant combat readiness for conducting fire strikes against the combat formations of the JF. They are trained daily to work on the deployment and advance to firing positions for inflicting fire strikes at the “Udarniy” and “Peredovoy” ranges. Also they equip false artillery positions.

According to the unified plan of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, command-staff mobilization training was conducted at the “Centralniy”, “Slavniy”, “Peredovoy”, “Pokrovsky”, “Udaloy” and “Vostochny” ranges with units of 1st and 2ndArmy Corps of “LDNR”. The personnel were transferred to full combat readiness, and the readiness of the “mobilization reserves” reception point was checked.

Within the framework of the “Single Day of Fire”, training sessions on artillery and mortar units of 1st and 2nd Army Corps of “LDNR” were conducted at the “Udarniy”, “Yuzhniy” and “Primorskiy” ranges every day from 5 to 11 March of this year.

Since March 11 of this year, company tactical exercises with live firing are carried out in 1st Army Corps “DPR” at the “Vostochniy” training ground using new means of aiming. Exercises are conducted under the leadership of the Corps command.

During the week, inspection and repair of engineering and fortification equipment of the positions was carried out at the advanced positions of 1st and 2nd Army Corps of LDNR.

In addition, a planned change of radio data was carried out in radio networks and radio communication lines of the tactical level of the command and control system of 1st and 2nd Army Corps with aim to prevent information leaks and provide covert troop control.

To support the activities of units of 1st and 2nd Army Corps operational groups of the Russian occupation forces, about 1500 tons of fuel and lubricants were delivered from Russia to the Voznesenovka and Rovenki railway stations during the week, and echelon consisting of 21 cars with artillery ammunition arrived to the railway station Ilovaisk.

The command of the 2nd AK “LNR” continues to secretly and “in bulk” to transfer the 7thseparate mechanized brigade and the 6th separate mechanized regiment to the area of responsibility. In the Beloe area, the movement of 4-gun artillery batteries of 122-mm towed cannon howitzers of the D-30/30A type was recorded, and ammunition and other logistic items were also being transferred in the direction of Alchevsk.

Immediately in two areas, the occupants equip positions for additional fire weapons – the equipment of positions for mortars and heavy grenade launchers is marked in the area south of Pervomaisk, and equipment of trenches and shelters in the second line is noted in the Sakhanka area in the Mariupol direction.

Through Torez and Shakhtersk, the invaders continue to transfer reinforcements and supplies (ammunition, equipment) – both to the training ground in the Manuylovka area, and in the direction of Donetsk and Makeevka. Up to 20 units of combat armored vehicles (MT-LB, BTR-70/80) have been transferred through Shakhtersk in the direction of Donetsk.

The occupants transferred a unit of 100-mm anti-tank guns of the MT-12 “Rapier” type to the area of Debaltsevo (northern direction from this settlement). These anti-tank guns were included in the “anti-tank reserve” in this area.

The transfer of new units of armored vehicles (BMP-1/2) at two sites in the area of responsibility of the 2nd Army Corps “LPR” is fixed —in the Nikolaevka area (north-east of Lobachevo) and in the Zheltoe –Krutaya Gora area.

In the area of Marinka, the occupation forces pulled up a mortar battery (4 units) 2B14 “Tray” (82 mm) to the front edge. At the moment, the subunit did not open fire; several spaced firing positions are being equipped and masked at once.

* * *

The command of the 2nd Army Corps “LNR” concluded that the mobilization system created with the help of Russian “advisers” is largely ineffective, including in the area of accounting for “reservists”. In particular, during the mobilization events, it turned out that a significant part of the “reservists” in reality, due to some reasons or other, cannot be called up at the right time (left for work, changed their place of residence for other reasons, are in fact they are citizens of the Russian Federation and so forth). In this connection, Headquarters of the 2nd Army Corps sent an order to the military registration and enlistment offices, brigades and battalions to immediately “update” and reconcile the lists of “registered staff”.

The serious problems with the staffing of brigades and regiments in the 1st Army Corps of the DPR continue to be fixed. “Service beyond the contract” for militants and mercenaries in these formations (the actual stay in the service beyond the period established by the contract) reached an average of 5-6 months, in some cases 7-8 months, until the “arrival of the replacement”. In this connection, the commanders of units state a sharp decline in the moral and psychological state of the personnel; more cases of open expression of discontent are recorded.

“Military counterintelligence of the Ministry of State Security of the DPR” prepared a memorandum to the command of the 1st Army Corps “DPR” on current problems in the moral and psychological support of the personnel of the Corps units and subunits. The document, in particular, states that the Ukrainian side posted video on the Internet (primarily on YouTube’s video hosting) with the destruction of positions / equipment / personnel of the occupants, which dramatically negatively affects the morale of the 1stDPR Army Corps troops. It is noted that “explanatory conversations” conducted with the militants with attempts to convince that all these videos are “staged fakes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” do not bring any special results. MGB DPR proposes to the command of the invaders to pay special attention to this problem and “take appropriate measures”.

The rumors increasingly circulate in the occupation administrations of the “DPR” that “at the end of May – early summer”, direct negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on recognizing Crimea as Russian and signing a “new treaty on the peaceful solution of the Donbass problem” are allegedly will begin. This topic is especially actively discussed in the middle section of the “civil servants” of the “DPR”.

 
Ukraine’s Armed Forces on Eve of Conflict

Author: Dmytro Putiata, Andrii Karbivnychyi, Vasyl Rudyka
Since 1992, Ukraine had been consistently downsizing its Armed Forces. The reason was that Ukraine’s economy could not afford to maintain a large military force inherited from the Soviet Union, which used to be part of the second defence line behind the Soviet troops deployed in the Warsaw Pact countries.


Disposition of Ukrainian and Russian troops, 2013



That force included 21 divisions, three air armies, an air defence army, and other military units, which in total amounted to 980,000 troops—meaning that they had been designed for imperial purposes and doctrines and were excessive for newly independent Ukraine, especially given the economic crisis of the 1990s. As the Cold War ended with the Soviet Union’s defeat, there was no ideological grounds for having so many troops either. Hence, Ukraine proclaimed a policy of neutrality and non-alignment, with its Armed Forces engaging in peacekeeping missions under the auspices of UN agencies.

By inertia, the deployment of the military units of the Armed Forces inherited after the Soviet Union’s policy towards its "aggressive neighbour" - NATO member states. It is in western and northern Ukraine that the largest number of troops with decent training and operational capabilities was amassed. These included:

  • 1st separate tank brigade (Honcharivske)
  • 24th separate mechanised brigade (Yavoriv)
  • 30th separate mechanised brigade (Novohrad-Volynskyi)
  • 51st separate mechanised brigade (Volodymyr-Volynskyi)
  • 80th separate airmobile brigade (Lviv, Chernivtsi)
  • 95th separate airmobile brigade (Zhytomyr)
  • 72nd separate mechanised brigade (Bila Tserkva)
  • 128th separate mountain infantry brigade (in fact—mechanised; Mukachevo)
  • 54th separate reconnaissance battalion (Novohrad-Volynskyi)
  • 8th separate special forces regiment (Khmelnytskyi)
  • 15th separate rocket artillery regiment (Drohobych)
  • 27th separate rocket artillery regiment (Sumy)
  • 26th separate artillery brigade (Berdychiv)
  • 39th separate air defence missile regiment (Volodymyr-Volynskyi)
  • logistics, SIGINT, etc. units
In central and southern Ukraine, the following units were deployed:

  • 17th separate tank brigade, which was being disbanded at the time (Kryvyi Rih)
  • 28th separate mechanised brigade (Chornomorske)
  • 3rd separate special forces regiment (Kirovohrad)
  • 79th separate airmobile brigade (Mykolaiv)
  • 107th separate rocket artillery regiment (Kremenchuk)
  • logistics, SIGINT, etc. units
In Crimea, the following units, of which marine infantry was fully operational, were deployed:

  • 36th separate coast guard brigade (Perevalne)
  • 1st separate marine battalion (Feodosiia)
  • 501st separate marine battalion (Kerch)
In eastern parts of Ukraine, the following units were deployed:

  • 25th separate airborne brigade (Dnipropetrovsk region)
  • 93rd separate mechanised brigade (Dnipropetrovsk region)
  • 92nd separate mechanised brigade (Kharkiv region)
  • 74th separate reconnaissance battalion (Dnipropetrovsk region)
  • 55th separate artillery brigade (Zaporizhzhia)
  • logistics, SIGINT, etc. units
The Donetsk and Luhansk regions had no Army or Airmobile Troops units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Instead, Internal Troops units were deployed in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Mariupol, as well as an Air Defence unit outside Donetsk.

Russian Intervention in Crimea



Russian forces invade Crimea and begin military drills at Ukraine’s border. Early March 2014.

Based on Gene Thorp/The Washington Post. Source: RUSI.

On and about 20 February 2014, Russian forces started a military operation to take Crimea under their control.

On 26 February 2014, Vladimir Putin suddenly launched large-scale snap exercises in Russia’s western regions, including those directly adjacent to Ukraine. At 10:00am, troops in the Western Military District and parts of the Central Military District, Airborne Troops and transport aircraft were raised on alert. Russia’s Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu reported that the forces had been alerted by 2:00pm MSK. According to the official plan, deployment on the local firing grounds was to take two days, and as of February 28th, battle exercise was to start, involving the 6th and 20th armies of the Western Military District, the 2nd army of the Central Military District, and Airborne Troops. In early March, the exercise already involved around 150,000 troops, more than 90 aircraft, 120 helicopters, up to 880 tanks, 1200 other military vehicles, and up to 80 ships and vessels. Official sources reported that 38,000 military personnel of the Army, the Marines, and the Airborne Troops were participating in the exercises in the European part of Russia. In March 2014, various sources in US, European and Ukrainian security services put the figure at 35,000 to 220,000 troops, suggesting that the exercises were posing a military threat to Ukraine. The difference can be explained by methods of calculation, which vary depending on whether they include forces at the Ukrainian border alone, or in each territory where the drills were held—including the Baltic and Black Seas and further into the Asian part of Russia—and whether they are based on Russia’s official data, or intelligence reports.

Given the feebleness of the Ukrainian government, or, putting it more bluntly, lack of government as such (heads of virtually all Ukrainian security institutions fled to Russia after Yanykovych’s regime collapsed), the Kremlin used its Armed Forces and Special Operations Forces to seize control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and further annex it.

On the night of February 26th to 27th, Russian special operations officers seized the building of Crimean Parliament. On February 28th, Simferopol International Airport and the Belbek military airfield outside Sevastopol were seized. On 1 March 2014, President Vladimir Putin of Russia requested the Federation Council (the upper house of Russia’s parliament) to permit using forces in Ukrainian territory. This request was essentially formal, as the military operation had already begun, and Russian troops were already carrying out military operations in Ukraine. On the same day, the Federation Council unanimously approved the request, with all the senators present voting in favour. Curiously enough, during the voting the number of senators in the hall was ranging from 78 to 90, with 84 required for quorum (slightly higher than half of the total number of 166): since it was an emergency meeting, some of them were late, and the voting system was acting up, so the number of those present could not be counted correctly. Whether parliamentary procedure was followed and, consequently, the decision was legitimate is an open question. In the final analysis, however, the legitimacy of the decision does not matter, only adding a few strokes to the picture of the events in the spring of 2014. In fact, in 2009, Russia’s Law "On Defence" was amended, giving the President authority to use armed forces abroad without the Federal Council’s approval—as was mentioned earlier, Russian troops were already carrying out missions in Ukraine when Putin submitted the respective request to the Council. It was, therefore, more of an image move to show that Russian politicians supported Russia’s military action against Ukraine.

How the Russian Federation prepared for and carried out its intervention into and annexation of Crimea, and the circumstances surrounding it, is a complex task that requires detailed research. Some of the aspects of the intervention can be considered to have been worked out in advance by Russia or to have played into its hands—the precarious state of Ukrainian forces and Russian agents and pro-Russian mood among senior military commanders. Other facts, though, make it possible to suggest that not everything had been calculated beforehand, and Russia had to "wing it." The referendum in Crimea, which had originally been planned for May 25th, was brought forward to March 30th, and later to an even earlier date—March 16th. It was clear that there was ridiculously little time to organise such an important process. Therefore, such a hurry clearly suggests that Russia was finding its "window of opportunities" to act narrowing rapidly.

The lack of military insignia on Russian troops and Russia’s tampering with the "grey area" of international law was, too, indicative of the weakness—not the strength—of its position. While formally denying the use of forces, Russia reserved the position of plausible deniability and room for manoeuvre. At any given moment, the Russian government could call off the operation without losing face or, conversely, resort to force and bear no responsibility therefor. Apart from doing away with insignia, the military "trump card" could have been used in a variety of ways. "Green men" in Crimea behaved provocatively and arrogantly, so it makes sense to assume that the Russian leadership was considering the option of Ukrainian forces in Crimea resisting the occupation, resulting in casualties. This could have been followed up by Russia accusing the new Ukrainian government, which had not yet been internationally recognised, of bloodshed, and launching a full-scale military operation. It would have resembled how the events of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war unfolded and may have been one of the options for using the forces that had been deployed at the Ukrainian border. "Peace enforcement" could have led to a rapid offensive on Kyiv or seizure of the entire southern east of Ukraine.

One way or another, at the time Russia could not officially admit its involvement in the military operation against Ukraine due to numerous reasons—both domestic and external. The Ukrainian government, in turn, also had to act carefully, since the country physically could not fend off the enemy’s all-out onslaught and since the provisional government had not been elected by the people. Such vagueness and restraint, exercised by both the aggressor and the defendant, added to the complexity of the situation, making it difficult to people in the two countries to make up their minds, and fuelled the feelings of artificiality and incredibility—even surreality—of what was going on. Despite the evident act of military aggression, there were no combat operations, and war or martial law was not declared.

A separate issue is analysis of the decisions taken—what Russia had in mind when committing an act of aggression to claim the territory of another state in the 21st century. Whatever the reasons, Russia has created powerful leverage over Ukraine, which has lost much room for decision-making and has been having to deal with an open-ended territorial conflict.
 
Initial strike

In late February 2014, Ukraine suffered a nearly complete collapse of the highest military-political leadership. All heads and commanders of security, defence and law enforcement agencies had fled to Russia, including:

  • Viktor Yanukovych, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
  • Pavel Lebedev, Minister of Defence, who, in fact, had Russian citizenship
  • Oleksandr Yakymenko, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)
  • Vitalii Zakharchenko, Minister of Internal Affairs
  • Stanislav Shuliak, Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
Yurii Illin, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces appointed in February 2014 by Yanukovych, was sabotaging the Commander-in-Chief’s orders. In May 2014, he deliberately moved to Russia-occupied Crimea.

Denys Berezovskyi, who was appointed new Commander of the Naval Forces on 1 March 2014, openly sided with Russia the very next day, on March 2nd, and started encouraging Ukrainian officers to follow suit.

The size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, let alone their operational capabilities, did not allow defending the state in any possible direction of attack. On 11 March 2014, Acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine Ihor Teniukh reported that only 6,000 Army troops out of 41,000 were operational. And there were more than enough directions of attack to defend—the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the regions of Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Odesa (from the Transnistria, where a Russian contingent of soldiers was permanently stationed).


On 17 March 2014, the day following the Russia-orchestrated referendum in Crimea, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law on partial mobilisation. It began the next day, on March 18th, when the Kremlin set up a ceremony in celebration of Crimea’s reunion with the Russian Federation. Mobilisation turned out to be quite a problem for Ukraine—it could not be handled appropriately because of the precarious draft system. Apart from there not being enough draft offices, the system was plagued with red tape: It was common for Ukrainian volunteers to turn up at a draft office, which for various reasons could not assign them to regular military units. Those who were most motivated joined spontaneously created volunteer formations, which were to be completely incorporated into state structures later on.

Deployment of Ukrainian Troops



Ukrainian troops deploy in response to Russian manoeuvres.

Early March 2014.

Military units of Ukraine’s Armed Forces were put on high alert after the Russian military intervention into Crimea started.

They included, first of all, special forces and Airmobile Troops, which had the highest operational capability.

In general, each brigade in Ukraine’s Armed Forces wasn’t able to provide more than one operational battalion, which constituted the image of the entire Armed Forces. In the 24th separate mechanised brigade, it was the 1st mechanised battalion; in the 25th separate airborne brigade, the 1st airborne battalion, which had been regularly taking part in military drills; in the 95th separate airmobile brigade, the 13th battalion, which had participated in international exercises (the 1st battalion was in fact on a par with it); in the 80th separate airmobile brigade, the 1st battalion; and in the 30th separate mechanised brigade, the 1st battalion. The 54th and 74th reconnaissance battalions performed well, too. They all constituted the operational Armed Forces of Ukraine at the time—with most troops in the units being contracted soldiers.

Aviation forces played their part, too. Again, most operational army aviation helicopters, namely in the 7th separate army aviation regiment and the 16th separate army aviation brigade, were deployed in Western Ukraine (Novyi Kalyniv and Brody, respectively). Helicopters of the 11th separate army aviation brigade (Chornobaivka, Kherson region) also engaged in combat as the conflict evolved. In total, there were no more than 15 Mi-24 attack helicopters. The spring exercises and the following combat involved Su-25 attack aircraft, with no more than eight of them being operational. The same held true for Su-24M bombers. Therefore, as of March-April 2014, the total number of operational military equipment in the entire Armed Forces of Ukraine included:

  • around 235 tanks (T-64; there were questions about their operationality, however—spare parts, batteries, etc. were lacking)
  • nearly 430 infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1 and BMP-2)
  • up to 150 armoured personnel carriers (BTR-80)
  • no less than 60 airborne fighting vehicles (BMD-1 and BMD-2), enough for a brigade
  • 131 self-propelled guns (SPG) and 105 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS)—as part of artillery systems of mechanised, airborne, tank and artillery brigades and regiments
These would have been enough to tackle illegal armed groups, even supported by several units of Russia’s Armed Forces. However, would it have sufficed in the case of a full-fledged onslaughts of Russian forces in the spring of 2014? Given the length of the Ukraine-Russia border, the answer is no.



An APC-80 of the 79th separate airborne brigade, Kherson region. March 2014.

Photo: Viktor Mykhailiuk.

When Russian forces started manoeuvring and deploying at the border with mainland Ukraine and in the Crimean Peninsula, special forces units were the first to be alerted in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. As they were adequately staffed, those units were among the few operational in late February 2014. The 3rd and 8th regiments were given various tasks, most of which are still classified. Separate special forces regiments were deployed in the Kharkiv region (3rd separate special forces regiment), in the Sumy region (8th separate special forces regiment), and at the border with Crimea, where they gathered intel and monitored the movement and exercise of Russia’s Armed Forces at the Ukrainian border. The 8th regiment, in addition, was tasked with evacuating secret equipment and accompanying important transfers from the Kharkiv region. In March, some groups of the 8th regiment were deployed in Crimea, albeit too late: most Ukrainian units and military bases were already controlled by the occupant at the time. At first, those groups were dislocated in Perevalsk, from where they moved back to mainland Ukraine later on.

In late February, a reconnaissance company of the 25th airborne brigade, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Mykola Palas, moved to Crimea for military drills near Perevalne. The company managed to return to mainland Ukraine with all the equipment and armaments after Crimea was annexed.

The reduced 1st battalion of the 25th separate airborne brigade, where most servicemen were contracted soldiers, supported by a 2S9 "Nona" SPG battery, was sent in April 2014 to the border with Russia in the Donetsk region near Amvrosiivka, and was manned there by reserved soldiers. The battalion stayed at the Russian border until June. After a battalion tactical group was formed on the basis of the 2nd battalion, part of it was deployed in the Kherson region, and the other part on the "Shyrokyi Lan" firing ground outside Mykolaiv. The 3rd airborne battalion was formed entirely of mobilised soldiers, except for the commanders. After Igor Girkin’s group appeared in Sloviansk, the battalion, supported by a self-propelled artillery battery, was dispatched there on April 12th or 13th.



Armoured vehicles of the 25th separate airborne brigade on the field march, the spring of 2014.

Photo: Stas Mykhailov.

The 79th separate airmobile brigade was alerted on March 2nd. More accurately, it was only part of the 1st battalion, where, as well as in a reconnaissance company, contracted soldiers were serving. The unit was sent to the Kherson region, near Chaplynka. There was a plan to redeploy the units in Crimea to secure a roothold in several northern Crimean localities. Major Dmytro Marchenko, one of the brigade’s officers, drove a civil vehicle to Armiansk to size up the situation. Reconnaissance revealed that the main highway in the city was already under the control of armoured personnel carriers of Russia’s intervention forces. The plan was cancelled, and so the battalion stayed. Later, its forces were rotated. In late March, the 2nd battalion was formed with mobilised troops. As of April 18th, the fully operational 1st and 2nd battalions were in the Kherson region; on May 18th, they were sent to the Zaporizhzhia region, and in June, to the Donetsk region. Another battalion within the brigade, the 88th, stayed in the Odesa region, did not get engaged in combat due to lack of servicemen as well as equipment.

The 95th separate airmobile brigade was alerted in March, too. Some of its troops were deployed in the Kherson region: although the 2nd battalion was already deployed there, only the 1st and 13th battalions of the 95th brigade were immediately operational. The brigade was justly considered one of the best. After manoeuvres near Crimea, the battalions were sent to the Donetsk region. It is only in early March that the 2nd battalion, manned with mobilised soldiers, was deployed in the combat area in Donbas.

In the spring and summer of 2014, the 80th separate airmobile brigade consisted of the 1st and the 3rd battalions in Lviv and Chernivtsi, respectively. The 1st battalion, mostly manned with contracted soldiers, was an operational unit, although instead of 30 standard armoured personnel carriers it had only just above 20. On April 8th, after crossing whole Ukraine, battalion’s airmobile company secured Luhansk airport. After Girkin’s group came, some of them were deployed outside Sloviansk.

The brigade was not an ordinary one. Whereas airmobile brigades normally have 18 D-30 howitzers, the 80th brigade had nearly 30 of them. The 3rd battalion was considered a separate unit with its own division and reconnaissance and support companies. No sooner than in March was it fully manned and sent to the Luhansk region. The 2nd battalion, also stationed in Lviv, was mostly not engaged in combat until late August.

Rocket artillery regiments were able to provide only one division each (later, this number tended to increase). In March and April, the 26th artillery brigade dispatched a division of 2S5 and 2S19 SPG each to the firing ground, where they held joint combat training with other brigades. Two SPGs were lost due to a violation of safety regulations.

The 107th rocket artillery regiment, equipped with deadly BM-30 "Smerch" heavy multiple rocket launchers, was alerted in early March and supported other units along the Russian border. Later, it was deployed near Crimea for exercise.

The 27th rocket artillery regiment, equipped with BM-27 "Uragan", was deployed in Sumy. Due to the near Russian border (34km away), as early as March 1st it was fully dislocated in Myrhorod, Poltava region. As the Ukrainian forces deployed, the regiment supported mechanised and tank units at the border.

The 55th separate artillery brigade was able to provide only two batteries. One of them was equipped with outdated D-20 howitzers, the other had Msta-B howitzers. Both batteries moved to the border area. In late June, another Msta-B battery was formed by the brigade.

As rapid reaction forces were deployed, battalion tactical groups (BTGs) of mechanised and tank brigades were formed with mobilised soldiers, which took quite a lot of time.



Vehicles of the 24th separate mechanised brigade in Sumy region. March 2014.

Photo: Ivan Khoma.

In the 24th separate mechanised brigade, a BTG was formed in early March on the basis of the 1st battalion, where many contracted soldiers were serving. The battalion was fully equipped and supported by four 2S3 "Akatsiia" SPGs, six BM-21 "Grad", a 120mm mortar battery, a tank company (10 vehicles), a reconnaissance company (with APC-80 and BRM-1K), and engineer and logistics units. This BTG was quite operational and capable of engaging in offensive and defensive combat, as the summer campaign showed. On around April 7th or 8th, the BTG moved to the Chernihiv region and later, to the Sumy region, where it stationed with the 27th rocket artillery regiment and the 1st separate tank brigade to cover the dangerous border area from Russia’s possible intervention. From there, the 24th mechanised brigade moved to the Poltava region, and then to the northern Luhansk region, where it set up checkpoints and stationed for more than a month. Later on, it was deployed near Sloviansk following the beginning of the combat. Although the 2nd BTG of the 24th brigade was formed as far back as April 2014, it seemed to have been on a stand-by and was deployed to the border area only in June. The 3rd BTG was sent to the combat area in Donbas only on July 10th.

In March, a BTG of the 1st separate tank brigade was formed with mobilised soldiers. Two tank battalions, a mechanised battalion, a reconnaissance company, a 2S3 "Akatsiia" SPG battery, and "Grad" batteries were amassed. It should be noted that the organisational structure provides for 18 vehicles for each artillery division, but due to lack of personnel who could man those vehicles only a battery (6 vehicles) was formed in 10 days. In April-May, the units were additionally manned, and divisions (albeit not all of them) got 12-14 vehicles in total. The 1st separate tank brigade, as was noted earlier, was stationed in the Cherтihiv and Sumy regions, where it exercised and oversaw the prospective front area. Later, it was fully deployed in the northern Luhansk region. Given that almost all the troops in the brigade had been mobilised, its operational capability was rather poor, as the combats that followed proved.

The 30th separate mechanised was alerted on 1 March 2014. On March 8th to 9th, all three battalions moved from the permanent station to firing grounds in the Rivne region and the "Shyrokyi Lan" firing ground in the Mykolaiv region for two weeks. The size of the brigade (around 4,000 troops) made it one of the largest at the time. However, only the 1st mechanised battalion was mostly manned with contracted soldiers, whereas the other two consisted of mobilised troops. In August, the 1st mechanised battalion proved its combat efficiency. After joint exercise with other brigades on the firing grounds, the 1st and 3rd battalions were sent to the Kherson region, close to the Crimean border, and the 2nd battalion to the Luhansk region.



Armoured vehicles of the 72nd separate mechanised brigade, raised on alert in Bila Tserkva. 8 March 2014.

Photo: Ruslan Honcharenko.

On March 8th, the 72nd separate mechanised brigade was alerted. During March-April 2014, two BTGs were formed. On March 20th, the 1st BTG arrived in the Zaporizhzhia region, and on April 10th, another echelon of the brigade. In April-May, they ensured defence near Mariupol, and later on were dispatched to the border area. The 72nd brigade was the third largest brigade in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, though the lion’s share of its manpower consisted of mobilised soldiers.

The 128th separate mountain infantry brigade was alerted on March 2nd and sent to a firing ground. It included the 15th mountain infantry battalion and a mechanised battalion. The brigade was also undergoing reform: it used to have a tank battalion and a 2S3 "Akatsiia" SPG division. Due to the downsizing, two BTGs, a tank company and an unmanned "Akatsiia" battery (4 SPGs) were formed, which were sent to the Sumy region on May 18th. At first, they stationed in Konotop, and two weeks later were deployed outside Baturyn in the Chernihiv region. In early April, they again were dispatched to the firing ground of the 1st separate tank brigade, and in May, they moved to the Luhansk region.

In March-April, three battalion tactical groups of the 51st separate mechanised brigade were formed. As with other similar brigades, only a few troops and civilian personnel remained at the permanent station on a regular basis, who were supposed to prepare equipment and conditions for the other personnel in the event of war. Prior to the mobilisation, the brigade included around 500 soldiers, officers and civilian personnel. After the mobilisation, battalions were formed, and on March 12th, the 51st separate mechanised brigade moved to the firing ground, where it was manned and equipped until April. After being manned by mobilised soldiers, the brigade became the largest in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and was later deployed in two regions, where it fought bravely. It was the only military unit with a 2S1 "Gvozdyka" SPG division (such SPGs had been withdrawn from service in Ukraine’s Armed Forces). In May, the brigade moved to Donbas, where it set up a line of nine checkpoints in the Kurakhove-Vuhledar-Volnovakha area. Although it was the largest brigade, 85 percent of its troops were mobilised, which affected its operability.



Armoured vehicles of the 30th separate mechanised brigade on the "Shyrokyi Lan" firing ground, April 2014.

Photo: Vasyl Romaniuk.

The 17th separate tank brigade, which was supposed to be the army’s powerhouse, was being disbanded at the moment. It was impossible for it to form a single tank battalion even in a month. In early March, it moved to the firing ground with little forces. On March 20th, fire broke out at the permanent station, destroying six tanks. It significantly affected the brigade’s operational capability—it could not even form a company tactical group. During April 10th to 17th, a few tanks and BMP-2 of the brigade were sent to Izium. By June, it could provide only 10 tanks, a few BMP-2, and a 2S3 "Akatsiia" SPG battery.

The 28th separate mechanised brigade managed to form the first (and the only one in the summer) BTG in March. On March 10th, an BMP-2 of the brigade was destroyed in the course of the exercise on the "Shyrokyi Lan" firing ground, with another 24 BMP-2 and 5 2S3 "Akatsiia" SPGs being damaged due to mismanagement of the equipment. The newly formed BTG in fact immediately became non-operational. Therefore, only one BTG with an added SPG battery could be formed on the basis of the 28th brigade, and it was deployed on the frontline border area as late as July 7th.



Armoured vehicles of the 51st separate mechanised brigade on the firing ground. The spring of 2014.

Photo: Serhii Apostol.

Although having the least military units, the brigades in the eastern regions showed the highest combat effectiveness.

In March, the 93rd separate mechanised brigade was sent to the Kharkiv region, whereas some of its troops moved to the northern Luhansk region. On March 15th, a column of vehicles was stationed near Stanytsia Luhanska, with some of them in Alchevsk. On March 17th, some units were deployed in the Kharkiv region; a month later, on April 17th, at the Russian border in the Luhansk region; in May, a checkpoint was set up in the Donetsk region on the Krasnoarmiisk-Dobropillia-Kramatorsk line. In general, the 93rd separate mechanised brigade was one of the best in Ukraine’s armed forces in terms of manpower and equipment.

The 92nd separate mechanised brigade did not manage to form a single operational unit, so it was not engaged in combat in Donbas. A few troops and some operational equipment within the brigade were deployed at the Russian border in the Kharkiv region. It is only in late August, during the fierce Battle of Ilovaisk, when a company tactical group based on the brigade was used as reserved forces.



Responses to activities of Russian subversion groups in Donbas after April 12th.

April-May 2014.

The Russian Narrative
Russian propaganda does not make a point of this period of the conflict.

The least informed and most biased Russian proponents claim that the first thing that the Ukrainian government did upon coming into power was the dispatch of tank echelons to Donbas. This most primitive argument suggests complete incompetence, empty rhetoric, or both. The timeline and regions of the deployment of Ukrainian forces dismiss this argument as utterly baseless and absurd.

Another point of Russian propaganda is mass evasion during limited mobilisation; as it says, thousands, if not dozens of thousands, of Ukrainian citizens were hiding from draft offices, or even fleeing to Russia. This asserts the opinion that Ukrainians were supposedly not intent on defending the Ukrainian state—and if its own citizens see no value in it, there can be no claims to Russia whatsoever. Indeed, limited mobilisation in Ukraine was faced with problems: as has happened earlier in history, there were cases of evasion. Russians, however, deliberately turned a blind eye on the powerful volunteer spirit of Ukrainians. As was noted earlier, draft offices had difficulties managing their work, and their codes of operation were not fit for limited mobilisation: not all enlisted were intent on going to war, and many of those who did want to do so were refused on formal grounds. Therefore, in order to have a clear picture of whether Ukrainians wanted to defend their country or not, one has to take into account all the aspects of the issue.

Russian propaganda also claims that Ukraine as a state did not dare fight against the real regular Russian army in Crimea. It holds true only in part—as of February 2014, Ukraine indeed was not ready for confrontation. Its task, however, was to choose such conduct which, firstly, could defend the sovereignty of Ukraine, and secondly, would eventually lead to victory. Therefore, direct confrontation was avoided for a number of good reasons. What escapes Russian propaganda in this regard is that, whereas Russian regular army forces were indeed deployed in Crimea, they did not act under the Russian flag and their actions were not officially recognised by Russia. Russian army in Crimea was disguised as "green men"—troops without insignia and no clear association with any state. Being wary of international and domestic response, Russia stood ready to engage its own army only if Ukraine gave it an appropriate opening. This was not the case. In the difficult conditions of the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian army refused to enter into conflict with an opponent without clear legal status—that is how the events that happened must be considered, in contrast to Russian propaganda.

Afterword
In the spring of 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were all but the army being downsized for more than 20 years. At short notice, the most operational units could provide only a third or, at best, a half of the elements provided for in the organisational structure. The weakest units were able to provide only pitiful force—a tenth of those they were supposed to operate. In order to ensure complete operationality, the army needed literally everything—operational vehicles, manpower, fuel, and organisational capabilities.

The very deployment of the Armed Forces in the combat area placed a heavy burden on them. Long-distance marches affected the tanks of the 1st separate tank brigade. The fire in Kryvyi Rih (most likely, it caught tanks which had been prepared for the march) prevented the formation of at least a single tank company. Add to this the explosion of two 2S19 SPGs of the 26th separate airmobile brigade, the downing of a Su-24M bomber in March 2014, and the breakdown of the entire BMP-2 battalion of the 28th separate mechanised brigade.

Still, despite a host of material, organisational and political factors of disorganisation, the Ukrainian army showed, most importantly, its intention to defend the state and respect for the oath. Ukrainian soldiers and officers managed to face the threat from Russia. Not being able to cover the entire border, the Armed Forces concentrated on protecting the most vulnerable areas. Defending the capital city from a rapid onslaught and preventing Russia’s possible advance to the Dnipro River were critically important.

The contents of the article are licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Copyright exceptions are marked with ©.
 
16.10.19 10:38
26 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: two Ukrainian soldier died


The enemy used 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, sniping weapons and small arms to launch attacks on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms on Ukrainian positions near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk); grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms – outside Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and small arms – in the area of Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); weapons on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle and grenade launchers – near Novohnativka (40km south of Donetsk); 82mm mortars – outside Opytne (12km north-west of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and small arms – near Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol); grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns – in the area of Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk); antitank grenade launchers and small arms – near Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol); mounted antitank grenade launchers – outside Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to shell Ukrainian troops near Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers, hand-held antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); under-barrel grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms – in the area of Zolote (60km west of Luhansk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and small arms – outside Travneve (51km north-east of Donetsk).

17.10.19 10:47
Russian proxies launch 30 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas: Ukrainian soldier killed

The enemy used 120mm and 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, anti-aircraft gun, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms to launch attacks on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces used 120mm mortars, weapons on BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms to attack Ukrainian positions near Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms - in the area of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers – in the area of and Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol); rocket-propelled grenade launcher, mounted antitank grenade launchers and small arms – near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers – outside Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol); heavy machine guns – near Chermalyk (31km north-east of Mariupol); small arms – outside Talakivka (17km north-east of Mariupol); under-barrel grenade launchers – in the area of Novomykhailivka (28km south-west of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and other small arms – near Taramchuk (29km south-west of Donetsk).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used 82mm mortars and mounted antitank grenade launchers to shell Ukrainian troops near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers, 82mm mortars, ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun – outside Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and other small arms – near Zolote (60km west of Luhansk), Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk) and Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk).

18.10.19 10:37
29 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: no losses Ukrainian soldiers

The enemy used 122mm artillery and mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms to launch attacks on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired 122mm artillery, 120mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and small arms on Ukrainian positions near Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol); mounted antitank grenade launchers and small arms – in the area of Talakivka (17km north-east of Mariupol); 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers – near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk); small arms and hand-held antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol) and Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol); small arms – near Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used 122mm artillery, 120mm mortars, automatic grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns – outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); 120mm and 82mm mortars, mounted antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Zolote (60km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars – near Novozvanivka (70km west of Luhansk) and Hladosove (51km north-east of Donetsk); weapons on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, hand-held antitank grenade launchers and small arms – outside Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk); under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms – in the area of Vilne (70km south-west of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns – outside Popasna (69km west of Luhansk).
 
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18.10.19 13:34
Russia preparing troops for large-scale aggression against Ukraine - General Staff

Russia is preparing to carry out large-scale military aggression against Ukraine not only along the contact line in Donbas but also along the entire section of the border, Head of the Main Directorate of Training, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksii Taran has said in an interview.

Russia is preparing for large-scale military aggression. These plans are quite obvious. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, accordingly, are preparing to repel armed aggression along the entire border of Ukraine. This applies not only to the contact line but also to other areas, starting with the border with Belarus and then near Crimea and Bessarabia. Today, we have a sufficient number of trained governing bodies capable of planning and directing troops in these important areas," Taran said.

He noted that at the beginning of the aggression, Ukraine had only four battalion task groups in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which at that time were more or less ready to perform tasks, whereas other forces stayed at places of permanent deployment and were considered to be partially prepared or completely unprepared.

Today, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have almost all military personnel ready to fulfill their tasks, Taran said.


On October 1, members of the Trilateral Contact Group agreed on the disengagement of troops near Zolote and Petrivske in Donbas from October 7. However, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, the disengagement was postponed due to shelling by militants.

The Kremlin, in turn, said that it could not guarantee the withdrawal of militants as part of the disengagement process.


 
18.09.19 13:30
The Only Way To Deal With Russia


Disintegration Of Russia Must Become Strategic Policy of International Community.


Five and a half years of Russia’s war against Ukraine and other democracies show clearly that the international community needs to change its strategy. Our actions must become offensive and have as a clear final goal the disintegration of the Russian Federation. It is the only effective long-term solution that would benefit the overwhelming majority of countries.

Let me enumerate just a few arguments in favor of this proposal:

  • For the first time since world war two the borders of a sovereign state were annexed by force under the disguise of a pseudo-referendum and the pretext of "protection of the rights of national minorities" and "historical justice". According to the same logic, any future annexations by any other aggressor could be justified. No country in the world can now feel secure unless the original culprit is punished.
  • Russia habitually violates bilateral agreements, blatantly ignores international law and international humanitarian law, refuses to abide by verdicts of the International Court of Justice and other UN courts, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, European Court of Human Rights, Stockholm Arbitration, abuses its veto right at the UN Security Council to cover up its crimes. Thus, Moscow deliberately causes steady erosion of the postwar system of international relations, of the law and trust between nations.
  • Attack by Russia on nuclear-free Ukraine severely undermined non-proliferation regimes encouraging other countries not to give up or to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The cases of North Korea or Iran may be just the first to be followed by others.
  • Moscow creates hotspots of instability and violence all around the globe, in particular along its own periphery, in Syria and Libya, Venezuela, on the Balkans, on the Korean peninsula, in African regions.
  • Kremlin is directly commanding and supplying its armed forces and mercenaries in Donbas. There are proofs of its involvement in the creation and functioning of ISIS, the arming of Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah. Downing of MH17, poisoning of Litvinenko and Skripal and other GRU killings in Europe reveal also the arrogant state terrorism by the Russian Federation.
  • The Russian administration on Ukraine’s occupied territories commits murders, tortures, mass deportations of the Ukrainian and Tatar populations. In Syria, Russia bombs civilians driving up waves of migration into Europe.
  • Russian security services have been caught shipping narcotics from Latin America and Asia into USA and EU.
  • Moscow’s hybrid methods are meant to destroy the European Union and NATO, undermine fundamental democratic values, spread political corruption and support organized crime.
  • Moscow interferes regularly into the process of elections and referenda, in particular in Ukraine, USA, UK, the Netherlands, South Africa, Madagascar, Indonesia, Northern Macedonia, Moldova spreading propaganda, disinformation and sowing discord and conflicts in societies.
  • RF discredited the values of honest sport by state-sponsoring of the doping.
  • Russia has no respect for private property. Its usual form of "cooperation" with foreign companies is to attract their funds and technologies and, after the new investment is fully operational, to raid it and turn it into the hands of Kremlin tycoons.
  • Technological backwardness of Russia causes frequent technogenic disasters on its territory, including nuclear, while indifference of its leaders to human lives leads to many casualties. The world cannot afford waiting passively until the next such disaster happens, its consequences spilling across borders.
Any attempts to pacify Russia and to do business as usual leads only to its increased arrogance, as was the case with the return of the Russian delegation to PACE. Any attempts to seek a civilized modus vivendi with Russians are a priori doomed to fail, because such a solution runs counter to the basic expansionistic mindset of the Kremlin regime, regardless of the surname of its current president and even irrespective of ideology or form of governance. The history of Moscow Czars, Russian empire, USSR and modern Russian Federation reflects almost identical methods of both internal politics and foreign policy behavior. The Russian Federation within its current borders and with its current resources is not able to ever become a normal civilized nation. On the other hand, a Russia shrunk to the size of its current European territory, deprived of WMDs and of its permanent seat in the UN Security Council, has a big chance to become a responsible regional player, maybe even become a NATO or EU member, in peace with all its neighbors.

After the reformatting of the Russian territory and emergence of newly independent states, the above problems will most likely either disappear or become much less acute. A similar waning of the destructive role of Russia was observed in the 1990s, when its KGB system was still in disarray following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

After the disintegration of RF, its natural resources and infrastructure will not disappear, but fall into ownership of newly independent states whose political culture can be shaped under the influence of international community thus enabling new civilized contracts and partnerships.

Additional argument in favor of RF disintegration is the opportunity for occupied neighbors to finally get back their annexed territories, e.g. for Finland, Baltic states, Poland, China, Japan, Georgia and Ukraine.

It is important to note that the means to bring about RF disintegration do not need to include military actions. The author of this article by no means calls for any extremist on any other illegal activity contrary to international law. It will be sufficient simply to isolate Russia by introducing real economic sanctions that would include: personal sanctions against its top leaders with assets freeze and travel ban; harsh restrictions for energy, banking and military industrial sectors; ban on sale of any high technologies, dramatic lowering of oil prices. That is all. Just shut them out and let them rot, under tight international control. The Russians will do it to themselves.

The most difficult task will be obviously to secure the Russian nuclear stockpile and other weapons of mass destructions. However, the experience of disarmament after the demise of the USSR testifies that this task is not impossible. It would be prudent to maintain constant lines of communication with the Russian military to prevent any unintentional fallacies.

The new foreign policy, economic and political-military strategy to contain, deter and force Russia to peace by means of its controlled disintegration needs to receive tacit consensus and support of key global players – USA, EU, China, and to be reflected by default in their future everyday policies. The time has come for the last evil empire to fall down. As a result, the world will sigh in deep relief, many of its acute problems miraculously vanishing.

Oleksandr Aleksandrovych, for Censor.NET
 
23.10.19 11:16
OSCE SMM: Explosions in Donbas become more frequent

The OSCE SMM monitors recorded about 240 explosions in Luhansk region and nearly 80 explosions in Donetsk region on Monday, October 21.

"In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 240), compared with the previous 24 hours (14 explosions)," reads the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) daily report issued on 22 October 2019.

As noted, the majority of ceasefire violations were recorded in areas west and south-west of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk).

"In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations, including more explosions (about 80), compared with the previous 24 hours (about 30 explosions)," the monitors report.

Almost half of the ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north and north-north-east of Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk). The majority of explosions were recorded in areas between Avdiivka (government-controlled, 17km north-east of Donetsk) and Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk).


23.10.19 10:32
Russian proxies launch 24 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas: Ukrainian soldier killed

On October 22, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 24 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, grenade launchers of different systems, small arms, sniping weapons and anti-tank guided missiles to launch attacks on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and anti-tank guided missiles on Ukrainian positions near Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol); hand-held antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Novoselivka Druha (36km north-east of Mariupol); 82mm mortars, mounted and automatic grenade launchers and small arms – near Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers – outside Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol); heavy machine guns and other small arms – near Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk); small arms – in the area of Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used small arms and grenade launchers of different systems to shell Ukrainian troops near Zolote (60km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars, mounted antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – in the area of Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and other small arms – near Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); 82mm mortars and automatic grenade launchers – outside Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); under-barrel and automatic grenade launchers – in the area of Vilne (70km south-west of Donetsk); heavy machine guns – near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk).


One member of the Joint Forces was killed, two more were wounded and another one soldier was injured over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have violated ceasefire seven times.

 
25.10.19 10:45
Russian proxies launch 25 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas: Ukrainian soldier wounded
On October 24, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 25 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired weapons on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms on Ukrainian positions near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk); heavy machine guns, mounted antitank grenade launchers and automatic grenade launchers – outside Talakivka (17km north-east of Mariupol); small arms and mounted antitank grenade launchers – near Bohdanivka (41km south-west of Donetsk) from the direction of Petrivske (within the disengagement area); mounted antitank grenade launchers, automatic grenade launchers and small arms - in the area of Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk); heavy machine guns, mounted antitank grenade launchers – near Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and small arms - in the area of Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used automatic grenade launchers and small arms, including heavy machine guns, to shell Ukrainian troops near Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk); small arms – in the area of Zaitseve (50km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank and automatic grenade launchers – outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – in the area of Troitske (69km west of Luhansk); heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic grenade launchers – near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk).


One member of the Joint Forces was wounded over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have not opened fire yet.



 
28.10.19 10:29
13 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: no losses Ukrainian soldiers

On October 27, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 13 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired mounted antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns on Ukrainian positions near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and small arms - in the area of Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol); heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk); small arms and hand-held antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used 82mm mortars, antitank and automatic grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); heavy machine guns – outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); antitank and under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms, including heavy machine guns – near Zolote-4 (59km west of Luhansk), outside disengagement area; small arms, mounted and hand-held antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Travneve (51km north-east of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns – outside Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk).

No casualties among Joint Forces members were reported over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have violated ceasefire twice.

 
31.10.19 09:10
19 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: no losses amoung Ukrainian soldiers

On October 30, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 19 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to fire on positions of the Joint Forces. The fire activity of the enemy snipers was also recorded," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of a tactical force Skhid, the enemy used mounted antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to fire on Ukrainian positions near Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Vodiane.

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, Russian-led forces used 82mm mortars, weapons on BMP-1infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk); 120mm mortars – outside Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); 82mm mortars and automatic grenade launchers – in the area of Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk); small arms – near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers, automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Troitske (69km west of Luhansk); automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – near Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); 82mm mortars – outside Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk).

No casualties among Ukrainian troops were reported over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have not opened fire yet. No casualties among Joint Forces have been reported.



 
IR Summary: Occupants have increased the activity of sniper groups near Bakhmut, Avdeevka and Mariupol
15:32 | 05.11.2019

Operational data of the “Information Resistance” group

In the period from October 29 to November 5 of this year, the armed formations of the Russian occupation group in the Donbas continued to carry out fire attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements in Ukraine-controlled territory. The level of their intensity remained at the same high level.

In total , units of the Russian occupation forces carried out 101 fire raids on the above mentioned objectives (last week 150) during this period. In the course of their conducting, the enemy used automatic small arms, heavy machine guns, light and heavy grenade launchers, standard weapons of armored combat vehicles (mainly BMP-1/2). In some cases, the use of ZU-23-2 AD systems, anti-tank systems, as well as weapons, which are restricted, according to the provisions of the Minsk agreements, in particular 120/82-mm mortars, was recorded.

The enemy was carried out fire attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops in the area of next settlements: Khutor Volny, Krymskoye, Novotashkovskoye, Novozvanovka, Orekhovoye, Luganskoye, Novoluganskoye, Pivdennoye, Zaitsevo, Novgorodskoye, Novomikhaylovka, Gnutovo, Pavlopol, Pishchevik, Vodyanoye and Shirokino.

Also, the enemy continued active aerial reconnaissance with the use of UAVs to detect changes in the combat formation of units of the Joint Forces (JF). In total, from October 29 to November 5 of this year, 14 reconnaissance UAV flights, including 5 UAVs of the Orlan-10 type, crossed the front line by air and entered into the airspace over the JF combat formations at the operational and tactical depth.

During the conduct of aerial reconnaissance, the enemy focused on clarifying the operational situation, identifying changes in the combat formations of the Joint Forces, as well as monitoring the implementation of activities in units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of RF Armed Forces to mask their advanced positions and combat equipment.

During the reporting period, there was a gradual increase in the level of combat readiness of units of the Russian occupation group in the Donbas. At present, a number of units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Russian occupation forces are brought from the “permanent” combat readiness level to the “high” combat readiness level, individual units (mainly from the operational reserve) in the degree of combat readiness “military danger” and “full”.

The enemy’s on-duty artillery crews were on a “permanent” state of combat readiness, individual calculations and units were put on high alert. A number of measures were taken with them to increase preparedness and the ability to deliver sudden and massive fire strikes against the JF combat formations. In particular, daily training was conducted with them to develop deployment and advanced fire positions for delivering fire strikes against the Joint Forces, as well as false artillery positions were equipped.

In addition, within the framework of the unified air defense system of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, the air defense units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps worked out the tasks of identifying, tracking and destroying training air targets.

During the reporting week, the activity of sniper and maneuvering enemy RER / EW groups in the Bakhmut, Avdeevka, Kurakhovo and Mariupol directions was also noted.

During the week, the following activities were carried out in units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the of the Russian occupation forces in the field of combat and operational training, as well as increasing the level of combat readiness of troops:

According to the unified plan of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, the work continues on preparing the equipment of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps for the autumn-winter period of operation. The facilities of the service and barracks prepare for the heating season, measures are being taken to warm the shelters and dugouts at the forefront;

The work of the commission on checking the protection of state secrets from the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces continues in the units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps;

Also, according to the unified plan of the Southern Military District of RF Armed Forces, units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps summarize the results of the final inspection for 2019 year;

The operational management bodies of the of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps headquarters have intensified their work regarding the development of plans for holding command and staff exercises in November with units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Russian occupation forces aimed at working out issues of organizing cooperation in the performance of combat missions with the so-called “Forces of territorial defense.”

As part of the preparations for these exercises, field control points are being deployed (including the control point of the chief of artillery and the group of fire destruction) at the military training grounds “Centralny-1”, “Slavny”, “Peredovoy”, “Udaloy” and “Vostochny”. In addition, a range of tank and artillery units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps are planned to be advanced to the military training grounds “Centranyl-1”, “Glavny”, “Peredovoy”, “Udaloy” and “Vostochny” as part of the preparation of the command-staff exercises;

The local occupation administration, together with the health service of the occupation group, is taking measures to verify the readiness of medical institutions to accept wounded soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the RF Armed Forces for treatment;

The exercises with the so-called “Forces of territorial defense” and training to localize emergency situations at critical infrastructure facilities also continue in the territory of the so-called “DPR and LPR”.

In the period from October 29 to November 5 of this year, confirmed losses of the Russian occupation forces in the Donbas amounted to 6 people:

1st Army Corps – 1st separate motor rifle brigade (Kalmius) – 1 serviceman, 9th separate motor rifle regiment (Novoazovsk) – 2 servicemen;

2nd Army Corps – 4th separate motor rifle brigade (Alchevsk) – 2 servicemen, 7th separate motor rifle brigade (Bryanka) – 1 serviceman.

To ensure the daily activities of the units of the 1st and 2nd Army Corps, as well as the accumulation of reserves of material and technical supplies for the operational grouping of the Russian occupation forces, another so-called “89th humanitarian convoy” arrived from the territory of Russia to the occupied territories of Ukraine (through the uncontrolled checkpoints Izvarino and Uspenka) on October 24 this year, which delivered about 500 tons of various cargoes.

Other military activity:

In the north-west of the Kuybyshev district (Donetsk), a mixed convoy of military equipment (up to 8 BMP-1/2 units, 2-3 MT-LB units and 4 Ural-type army trucks) was moving westward.

The movement of several army trucks with units of the Russian occupation group (up to 2 platoons) was observed in the area of settlement Lobachovo.

Active work on the engineering re-equipment of positions on the second line continues along the Dachnoe – Sentyanivka – Petrovenky line. The equipment of a number of firing positions and caponiers for military equipment was noted.

IR
 
08.11.19 10:43
20 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: Ukrainian soldier died

On November 7, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 20 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, anti-tank guided missiles, heavy machine guns and other small arms to fire on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the enemy used heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, automatic grenade launchers and anti-tank guided missiles to fire on Ukrainian positions near Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, weapons on BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, hand-held antitank grenade launchers and small arms – outside Vodiane (94km south of Donetsk); rocket-propelled grenade launchers and small arms – in the area of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers – near Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol); mounted antitank grenade launchers – outside Opytne (12km north-west of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers – in the area of Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, Russian-led forces used grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns to shell Ukrainian troops near Krymske (42km north-west of Luhansk); rocket-propelled grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); 82mm mortars mounted antitank and automatic grenade launchers – in the area of Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms – near Vilne (70km south-west of Donetsk); 120mm and 82mm mortars, automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); hand-held and mounted antitank grenade launchers – in the area of Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk).

One member of the Joint Forces was killed and four more Ukrainian soldiers were wounded over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have opened fire from automatic grenade launchers near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk). No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported.
 
12.11.19 10:54
16 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: Ukrainian soldier wounded


On November 11, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 16 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.
"The enemy used 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

As noted, the enemy launched seven attacks in the zone of action of tactical force Skhid and nine more attacks in the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich.

One member of the Joint Forces was wounded over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have not violated ceasefire yet.



13.11.19 10:29
15 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: two Ukrainian soldiers wounded

On November 12, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 15 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and other small arms to shell positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the Russian-led forces fired heavy machine guns and other small arms on Ukrainian positions near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank and automatic grenade launchers and small arms – outside Verkhniotoretske (22km north-east of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – in the area of Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk), Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk) and Krasnohorivka (21km west of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers and small arms – outside Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and under-barrel grenade launchers – near Taramchuk (29km south-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and small arms – in the area of Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, invaders used under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Vilne (70km south-west of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and automatic grenade launchers – in the area of Zolote (60km west of Luhansk) beyond the disengagement site; grenade launchers of different systems and heavy machine guns – near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk); automatic mounted grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Troitske (69km west of Luhansk).


Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in an unknown explosive device blast over the past day.

Today, the Russian-occupation troops have launched one attack on Joint Forces. No casualties have been reported.

14.11.19 07:15
17 attacks against JFO positions yesterday: no losses among Ukrainian soldiers

On November 13, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire 17 times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.

"The enemy used 82mm and 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to fire on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the enemy used automatic grenade launchers to fire on Ukrainian positions near Nevelske (18km north-west of Donetsk); mounted antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Slavne (26km south-west of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers and small arms – in the area of Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol) and Novoselivka (16km west of Luhansk); mounted antitank grenade launchers – near Novotroitske (36km south-west of Donetsk); heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, Russian-led forces used 82mm mortars, automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns to shell Ukrainian troops near Vilne (70km south-west of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk) and Novoluhanske (53km north-east of Donetsk); 120mm mortars, mounted antitank and automatic grenade launchers, heavy machine guns Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk); small arms and under-barrel grenade launchers – outside Orikhove (57km north-west of Luhansk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers, automatic grenade launchers and small arms – near Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers, heavy machine guns – in the area of Svitlodarsk (57km north-east of Donetsk); grenade launchers of different systems and small arms – outside Shumy (41km north of Donetsk).


No casualties among Ukrainian troops were reported over the past day.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have opened fire once. No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported.
 
IR Summary: Artillery of militants fulfills attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
12:54 | 13.11.2019

Operational data of the Information Resistance group

In the period from the 5th to the 12th of November this year, the armed groups of the Russian occupation group continued to carry out fire attacks on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements in Ukraine-controlled territory. The level of their intensity remained at the same high level. In total, during this period they carried out 97 fire raids (for comparison, 101 were recorded last week). In this case, the enemy used: automatic small arms, heavy machine guns, light and heavy grenade launchers, occasionally were recorded the use by the enemy ZU-23-2 AD systems, armament of BMP-1/2, as well as anti-tank systems.

In addition, the use of weapons by the armed groups of the occupying forces that are subject to restrictions in accordance with the provisions of the so-called Minsk agreements was recorded in some cases. In particular – 122-mm artillery systems, as well as 120/82-mm mortars.

Fire attacks were carried out by the enemy on the positions of Ukrainian troops in the area of following settlements: Krymskoe, Novotoshkovskoe, Novozvanovka, Travnevoe, Luganskoe, Novoluganskoe, Zheleznoe, Zhaytsevo, Peski, Nevelskoye, Berezovoye, Starognatovka, Novogrigorovka, Pavlopol, Gnutovo, Talakovka, Vodyanoe and Shirokino.

The enemy continued active aerial reconnaissance using UAVs. Basically – to identify changes in the combat formation of the Joint Forces (JF). In total, from the 5th to the 12th of November this year, 7 UAV reconnaissance flights, including 3 flights of the Orlan-10 UAV, were fixed with crossing the contact line in the airspace and deepening into it the operational and tactical depth of the JF defense.

At the same time, the command of the occupation group focused on opening the control system of the JF, clarifying the operational situation in the area of the JF operation, as well as identifying changes in the combat formation and the location of the reserves of the Joint Forces.

Also, there is an intensification of the activities of the sniper and maneuvering RER/EW groups of enemy practically along the entire line of contact.

For the reporting period, a number of units from the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Russian occupation forces were in a high degree of combat readiness to conduct active hostilities. On-duty artillery crews were for a week in a state of constant combat readiness for delivering massive fire strikes to the combat formations of the Joint Forces.

Also, during the reporting week, they held daily trainings on working out deployment issues and reaching advanced firing positions for delivering fire strikes against the Joint Forces. Also, the command of the occupation group organized the equipment of false artillery positions.

In that period, the units of the 1st and 2nd operational groupings of the Russian occupation forces in Donbas organized and carried out the following activities:

According to a unified plan for the training and vital activity of the troops of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, work continued on preparing standard equipment and weapons for the autumn-winter period of operation. The objects of the service and barracks fund of the occupation group were preparing for the heating season with the involvement of local forces and commercial organizations, measures were taken to warm the shelters and dugouts at the forefront;

During the week, the practical training and exercises were conducted with a number of artillery and mortar units from the occupation group with aim to control and adjust fire during shelling against the JF combat formations;

The practical exercises were organized and conducted with a number of air defense units from the duty forces of the occupation group to identify, track and destroy conventional air targets;

The command of the occupying forces also organized a series of events, including with the use of UAVs, to monitor the quality of the conduct to camouflage of advanced positions in 1st and 2nd Army Corps, as well as locations for standard weapons and military equipment;

Within the framework of a unified plan and system of operational and combat training of the Southern Military District of the RF Armed Forces, practical training in fire and tactical and special training was held with the junior command staff (sergeants) in a number of units from the occupation group at the military training grounds “Centralny-1”, “Slavny”, “Udarny”, “Uzhny”, “Pokrovsky”, “Udaloy”, “Vostochny” “Peredovoy” and “Primorsky”;

Based on the results of reconciliation of accounting materials for services in units of the occupation group of the RF Armed Forces in the Donbas, an internal verification commission of the Southern Military District of RF Armed Forces began to work to identify and investigate the facts of the theft and misuse of military property, ammunition and fuel and lubricants that are delivered from the territory of the Russian Federation to ensure vital activities of units from occupation group in the Donbas;

The occupation command organized and conducted a large-scale command-and-staff exercise with a number of units of the occupation group, which are providing the combat command process, as well as the combat control bodies, on the organization and conduct of “territorial defense” events. The number of units from the so-called “Territorial defense forces” were involved in it. The main issues that were worked out during this exercise were: verification of the so-called “Public authorities and law enforcement agencies” to respond to crisis situations, the organization of interaction between the so-called “Ministry of Internal Affairs”, “MGB” and “Ministry of Emergencies”; conducting combat coordination of the united combat tactical formations of the so-called “Ministry of Internal Affairs”, “MGB” and “Ministry of Emergency Situations”, with elaboration of the issues of providing them with maneuvering defense and counter-offensive operations by units of the so-called “people’s militia”. In addition, all its participants worked out the issue of organizing and conducting training camps with “reservists”.

In the period from November 5 to 11 this year, confirmed losses of the Russian occupation forces in the Donbas are:

1st Army Corps – 9th separate motor-rifle regiment (Novoazovsk) – 2 servicemen;

2nd Army Corps – 4th separate motor-rifle brigade (Alchevsk) – 2 servicemen.

To ensure the daily activity of the operational grouping of the Russian occupation forces in the Donbas, another so-called “90th humanitarian convoy” arrived from the territory of Russia to the occupied territories of Ukraine (through the uncontrolled checkpoints Izvarino and Uspenka) on November 7 this year, which imported about 500 tons of cargo. In addition, about 1,700 tons of fuel and lubricants were delivered from the territory of Russia (railway station Rovenki and railway station Borisovka).

Other military activity:

The active movement of army vehicles was noticed between Starobeshevo and Dokuchaevsk (recorded up to 14-16 units of vehicles, mainly the Urals, Kamaz in both directions).

North-west of Kalinovo, active camouflage of firing positions for heavy infantry armaments is carried out, both in front-line positions and in the second line.

Up to 6 units of military vehicles proceeded through Beloye towards Lugansk.

In the Ozeryanovka area, the movement of 2 units of trucks Ural with 120 mm mortars on trailers was recorded in a northeast direction.

The movement of 1 BMP-1 and 1 MT-LB was recorded north of Bezymennoe in a northerly direction.

IR
 
21.11.19 07:15
Seven attacks against JFO positions yesterday: seven Ukrainian soldiers wounded

On November 20, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries violated ceasefire seven times in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in eastern Ukraine.
Censor.NET reports referring to the JFO press center Facebook page.

"The enemy used 82mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements, weapons on infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms to fire on positions of the Joint Forces," the press center of the JFO Headquarters reports.

In the zone of action of tactical force Skhid, the enemy used weapons on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and heavy machine guns to fire on Ukrainian positions near Berezove (31km south-west of Donetsk); 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns and other small arms – outside Pyshchevyk (25km north-east of Mariupol); weapons on BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, hand-held antitank grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – in the area of Talakivka (17km north-east of Mariupol); under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms – near Marinka (23km south-west of Donetsk).

In the zone of action of tactical force Pivnich, Russian-led forces used under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms to shell Ukrainian troops near Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk); automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns – outside Hladosove (51km north-east of Donetsk); small arms – near Novotoshkivske (53km west of Luhansk).


Seven Ukrainian soldiers were wounded over the past day.

While Ukraine is trying to reach peace by diplomatic means, Russian invaders violate any agreements, the JFO Headquarters underscores. Yesterday, the Ukrainian side asked to observe ceasefire twice at one of the sites to provide care to the wounded. The armed formations of the Russian Federation gave their consent but continued to fire on Ukrainian positions.

Today, the armed formations of the Russian Federation and its mercenaries have not opened fire yet. No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported.

 

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