Russia declares war on Ukraine. Live updates from inside Ukraine

a reply to: letscit

This is what happens when you get your info from state-approved outlets: it sometimes is wrong (regarding South Stream).

Bulgaria Suspends Involvement in Russia’s South Stream Pipeline

a reply to: letscit

Head of Russia's Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin said none of those who are committing crimes in southeastern Ukraine will be able to avoid retribution.

And I am guessing he does mean Russian separatists included, because they too are committing crimes.

And how exactly does Russia think they can punish another countries citizen that have committed no crime in Russia?

And remember the fighting is in Ukraine not Russia so they have no say, even though they are trying by backing the separatists with military hardware.

a reply to: Dutzy

“Everything will go as planned,” Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said, in response to earlier reports today that his country was halting operations on Gazprom’s South Stream gas pipeline project.

The Serbian government has not made any new decisions regarding the construction of the South Stream pipeline, which will stretch 422 kilometers across the country and send Russian gas to European markets bypassing Ukraine.

“This decision must be made by the government, which is not currently in session. If everything goes as planned. If there are any changes, the government will make a decision and you will be notified about it,” Prime Minister Vucic said Monday.

Earlier during the day, Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihailovich announced Serbia was halting work on the gas line, in response to Bulgaria’s yesterday's decision to suspend.

Serbia didn't cite political reasons, but rather said that they can't complete their part of the project while there is a delay in Bulgaria. Mikhailovich said Serbia will wait until Bulgaria completes negotiations or Russia changes the pipeline route.

“Bulgaria - is the center. Until Bulgaria finishes negotiations with Brussels and the European Union and Russia, the project is suspended. Or until Russia changes the route. Either way, the first and second scenarios means there will be a delay in construction in our country," Mihailovich was quoted as saying in Belgrade's Blitz newspaper on Monday.

So far the Kremlin has remained mum, not commenting on the developments. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti, "we need to check, it is too early to say anything."

Bulgaria unexpectedly ordered work on South Stream to be suspended on Sunday after holding talks with US Senators, and EU authorities ordered a freeze on the project.

Just last Thursday Serbia announced it had no plans to delay the start of construction, scheduled for July, over pressure from the EU.

Gazprom’s $45 billion South Stream project, slated to open in 2018 and deliver 64 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, is a strategy for Russia to bypass politically unstable Ukraine as a transit country, and helps ensure the reliability of gas supplies to Europe.

rt.com...


well it is obvious one of our sources will turn out to not be valid and just a lie. this was posted just a few minutes after your report went up. and instead of weak opinions, i believe time will tell!

The Baltic Sea and skies are getting crowded as Russia launches military training of its assault forces in the exclave of Kaliningrad in answer to the double war-games being conducted by joint NATO forces on the territory of the three Baltic States.

Tanks, troops, jets: NATO countries launch full-scale war games in Baltic

NATO’s decision to conduct dual war games next to Russian borders in the Baltic has not been left unaddressed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, which prepared a surprise training of first strike forces – marines, paratroopers and long-range bombers - right in the backyard of the NATO military maneuvers.

“We conduct military training simultaneously with the international war games that have started in Europe, Saber Strike-2014 and BALTOPS-2014,” said the ministry’s press service.

Defense Ministry noted that the military might engaged in training in the Kaliningrad Region is by all means comparable with the NATO’s forces concentrated on the nearby territory of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where Saber Strike-2014 is conducted on June 9-20 and sea-based BALTOPS-2014 training held in the Baltic on June 6-21.

The Russian maneuvers involve the use of naval groups, marines, landing operations of airborne forces, air defense training and firing exercise of front-line aviation.

“All-arms naval groups will maintain border and sea communication defense, and will perform training to search and destroy hypothetical aggressor’s submarines and combat ships,” the ministry commented to RBC news outlet.

The paratrooper division from Pskov will be training operational deployment to Kaliningrad, whereas marines will be training defending the coastal line from possible sea-borne landing and will also perform isolation and elimination of illegal armed groups.

The Air Force is to provide fire support with Su-34 fighter-bombers and Mi-24 assault helicopters.

Deployment of supersonic Tu-22M3 long-range strategic maritime strike bombers, some of which have just the day before finished training in the Black Sea, has also been announced. Together with the air defense forces they will patrol the area to make sure the airspace of the training is securely sealed off.

NATO’s training in the Baltic is an annual event yet this time the number of troops taking part has been augmented considerably. In 2013 there were 1,800 troops involved, while Saber Strike 2014 has become the largest-ever, with 4,700 troops and over 800 military vehicles, such as M2 Bradley, M1126 Stryker, and various APCs: XA-180, XA-202 and M113 taking part in the training.

Besides the two NATO war-games, the Baltic States are holding Baltic Host 2014 military cooperation training of their own near Riga.

Saber Strike 2014 has hosted troops from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already dubbed even the rotational military build-up near the Russian borders as an act of hostility directly violating the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997, Lavrov’s First Deputy Vladimir Titov told Interfax.

With the background of developments in Ukraine, the beef-up of NATO’s military presence near Russian borders, “just like during the 08.08.08 war in the North Caucasus, it rather creates additional problems instead of helping to solve them, Titov said.

On Monday Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja that, “The artificial attempt to continue NATO's eastward expansion, progression of the military infrastructure to the east, closer to Russia's borders, is counterproductive.”

rt.com...

Combat SITREP by Juan

1. Nats Army offer of civilian evacuation corridors rejected. Corridors led only west in to national guard/right sector unit areas and demanded self defense units disarm and surrender.

2. Continuing heavy bombardment of Slavyansk and outlying areas. Confirmed 4 children under age 10 killed last 3 days. Living areas and industry areas targeted including 15.2 cm howitzers and Grad.

3. краснолиманскому area confirmed 2 Grad units destroyed with crews and support vehicles 09 June 03:00 attack of Novorossiya Army units.

4. Nats suffer heavy losses last 4 days. Nats removing destroyed vehicles and armor when possible. Reason unknown. Ural tank transporters used for removal. One photo destroyed/burned T64 turret in transporter. T64 hull not seen.

5. Strong explosion and short fire area Karachun Mountains 03:15 11 June.

6. Unconfirmed reports of large number bodies found in deep lake краснолиманскому area, bodies weighted.

7. Large amount ammunition found on two abandoned Kamaz transports Lugansk area. Numbers of Kamaz Nats army.

8. Unconfirmed reports 10 June large number national guard/right sector troops surrounded Lugansk aerodrome.

9. 07:12 11 June heavy fighting area краснолиманскому.

10. Additional unverified but deemed reliable reports of replacement aircraft and crew sent to Nats Army from Poland and FRG.

11. Refugees continue to arrive Rostov Oblast and Autonomous Republic of Krimea. One group 4 families detained arrival by van. Suspicions of 22 year old husbands with 8 year old children and all documents Ukraine new. Children being cared for.

12. Scattered engagements areas Slavyansk and Kramatorsk growing in intensity 06:15 11 June.

13. Report of secretary general of OSCE to visit Rostov na Donu to interview refugees. Suggestion a visit to Slavyansk and краснолиманскому.

SITREP by The Saker

There are lots of Ukraine connected news today. First, we got the confirmation that Poroshenko is a US agent. Then we have the very infulential Sergei Glazyev who is now calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone over Novorossia. And finally we have an interesting theory about the role Slavainsk is playing in the current war: according to the Russian blogger Yurasumy, Slaviansk today has the same role as Stalingrad in WWII: to tie down a large enemy force and to keep the battle going there while the "flanks" are being prepared for a counter-offensive. In this context, I have to notice that the Russian newspaper Segodnia is reporting that he Ukie HQ was moved back from Izium to Chuguev near Kharkov precisely to avoid being trapped in an encirclement. Combine that with the news that at least two Ukie MRLS have been destroyed and that at least 3 Ukie tanks have been rendered inoperable and you start getting an interesting picture: things are starting to look worse and worse for the junta in Kiev.

In contrast, though the situation is still murky, there are more and more reports indicated that the critical manpower issue has dramatically improved. Only yesterday evening a Vostok battalion officer was asked by Russian reporters how many men the NDF had to which he replied "enough". As for weapons, Juan and others are reporting that the number of "abandoned" weapons "found" in various locations is increasing and that now these weapons include more modern and more recent systems, including armor and artillery. True, the defenders of Novorossia still lack any kind of air capability, but their air defense seems to have taken a very heavy toll on the Junta forces. I have personally seen recent footage of advanced NDF air defense radars (with crews) combined with underground command posts. I think that something might slowly changing in the combat dynamic.

One possible explanation for what has happened is that by openly stating that Russia will not intervene Putin has forced the people of Novorossia to realize that they will need to stand their ground on their own. The numbers are still not what they should be, but their increase has been significant to allow the Novorossians to go on the offensive in locations where this would have been absolutely impossible just a few weeks ago.

The key event I will be looking for in the next couple of weeks are diversionary attacks in junta death squads outside the cities were the battles are taking place now. Fighting the Ukies in Slaviansk and Kramatorsk is the right first step, but the entire Donbass has now to turn into a no-go zone for the Kiev junta. Supply convoys, ammo dumbs, airfields, roads, bridges, train tracks, water pumping stations, and basically everything except field hospitals should now be attacked. Notice I did not say "destroyed" or "captured" - only *attacked*. The key goal here is to create chaos and demoralize the junta units and not to achieve a "victory".

In conclusion I would like to recommend a blog: No Bread and Circuses for You which has a lot of good materials in English about the war in Ukraine. Also, Club Orlov has posted a recent interview of Dmitri Orlov which I found interesting (see here).

vineyardsaker.blogspot.ch...

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: asen_y2k

I for one would be an avid follower of such a thread. I have several Ukrainian friends and am always trying to gather quality information on the subject. So far the only "in Ukraine" source I have is Eleana Filatova.

Sadly, the OP abandoned this thread weeks ago. The reporting from inside Ukraine has instead been displaced by a steady stream of mostly fictional propaganda spewing from Russian state outlets..

Truth is the first casualty in a conflict.

Russia has offered Ukraine a final gas price of $385 per 1,000 cubic meters, and if Kiev continues to ask for a lower price, rapport between the two countries will fall apart, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

"We believe our proposals offered more than a partnership aimed to support the Ukrainian economy during its difficult period when it was in need. But if our proposals are rejected, then we move into a completely different stage, it's not our choice," Putin said at a meeting with government officials.

The price has now been set at $385 per thousand cubic meters, $100 less than the previous $485 price Moscow set but more than the $268.50 price Kiev demanded.

"Gazprom has offered its Ukrainian partners the exact same conditions that the government had under Viktor Yanukovich - a $100 discount on the contract price, with a final price of $385 per thousand cubic meters," Putin said.

"Gas price for Ukraine in the $ 385 would be acceptable, and Russia can still provide discounts depending on volume," EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.

Kiev is still unsatisfied with Moscow's offer and said it will take the appeal to an arbitration court in Stockholm, Ukraine's Energy Minister Yury Prodan said. Prodan stressed Stockholm is the only way to settle the matter. Ukraine is still hoping to negotiate an interim gas price, which would be in place before the Stockholm hearing.

Russia is ready to give Ukraine this $100 discount for one year, Russia's Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said at the meeting.

The new discount will make deliveries to Ukraine free of export tariffs.

Novak said that Moscow is willing to recalculate Kiev's massive gas debts for April and May, which will bump their arrears down from $2.353 billion instead of $3 billion. The first tranche payment of $500 million is due June 16, and the remaining $1.8 billion is due on June 26, Novak said.

Setting deadlines

In order to avoid future gas disputes, Putin called on his ministers to set a time period for Ukraine's gas discount to last long-term.

"I would ask the government, the prime minister, to think about how your departments can work with the government of Ukraine to set these conditions and make them reliable and not change over time," Putin said at the meeting.

In response, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised the government will start preparing long-term discount proposals.

Even though Kiev has twice missed its debt deadline, Gazprom has not introduced a gas pre-payment scheme just yet, as Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller extended the deadline to 9:00am Moscow Time on June 16.

Moscow has threatened to turn off gas supplies, if Kiev doesn't pay its massive $4.5 billion gas debt - a step Gazprom took in 2006 and 2009.

Russia and Ukraine have held a series of talks, led Oettinger, to find a solution before Gazprom is forced to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, which would have adverse effects across Europe. Gas stability in Europe is completely up to Russia, Prodan said on Wednesday.

So far trilateral talks have been inconclusive, but negotiations will continue, according to Novak. Oettinger says that Putin and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko plan to start gas talks today.

Kiev has repeatedly said any price above $268 is too high and politically motivated, while Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas producer, points out it is similar to European client rates.

In 2013, Yanukovich's last year as president, Ukraine paid $413.50 per 1,000 cubic meters for natural gas. In December 2013, Yanukovich secured a deal with Russia to pay $268.50 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first 3 months of 2014. In April, Gazprom cancelled the $100 Kharkov Agreement discount, and the price eventually rose to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Comment: Putin's actions continue to defy the propaganda directed at him from the West. Despite being painted as a dictatorial thug, or even compared to 'Hitler', his behavior is quite the opposite. The proposed gas terms are more than fair. The rejection by the Kiev regime reveals the obstinate and disruptive nature of those calling the shots in the Ukraine. It's yet another example of the pathocracy projecting their hollow landscape onto others.

rt.com...

Google translation, this allegedly has happened on 11/06/14

Semenivka village under Slavic Ukrainian army shelled suspected so-called "phosphorus bombs", which limits the use of settlements is prohibited by international agreements. shells with white phosphorus can cause extremely serious and painful injuries or provoke a slow and painful death. For the treatment of such injuries requires specially trained medical personnel who can also get at work phosphorous wounds. use of such weapons against the civilian population, as well as air strikes against military targets in civilian areas is prohibited by the Geneva Convention. All rights to the video belong LifeNews

Slavyansk in ruins, Junta showing frustrations and inability to fight NAF, so shelling cities and towns in Donetsk region
is way to fight for 'United Ukraine'. This is wrong on so many levels. I hope they will understand they are not welcome there sooner rather than later.
But I guess it is a requirement from IMF, to secure Lugansk and Donetsk regions which are main industrial areas in former Ukraine. Otherwise no money.

a reply to: letscit

Russia would be a fool to provide $100 discount to Ukraine. What for??

Since 1991 around $200B in discounts have already been given. Wonder what this $200B would have done for Russia and investments into its industries and social programs.

originally posted by: Dutzy
a reply to: letscit

This is what happens when you get your info from state-approved outlets: it sometimes is wrong (regarding South Stream).

Bulgaria Suspends Involvement in Russia’s South Stream Pipeline

this is what happen when you surrender your independence and sovereignty to bureaucrats in Brussel and
to warmongers in White House. Thinking you will have a same say as big guns in EU (Germany, etc).
Bulgaria simply cannot afford to reject South Stream as almost all gas they use comes from Russia.

a reply to: clay2 baraka

Yes the OP had more pressing matters to attend to I am sure. I think though that he would liek to see so many views on this situation though.
I really wish that ukrains would just do like the romans and call scorch earth on the east part and concentrate on retaking crimea instead. Sometimes you just have to let go and let events shape themselves.

From Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity

What would the US response have been had then-president Yanukovich used fighter jets to attack Maidan protesters in February? At the time, the US threatened the Yanukovich government for simply attempting to remove protesters from public buildings. But now it says nothing as the post-coup government actually calls in air strikes against civilians!

The administrative building in Lugansk is not the only target of the Kiev military in eastern Ukraine. Kiev forces have bombed hospitals, kindergartens, residential areas, and so on. Still not a word from President Obama or Secretary of State Kerry.

It seems that the US government actually approves of this use of force against civilian populations in eastern Ukraine. Two days after the air attack on downtown Lugansk, the Obama administration announced a significant US military support package for Ukraine. The aid will include, "A new tranche of $5 million for the provision of body armor, night vision goggles, and additional communications equipment."

Americans should understand that they are being forced by their government to finance the military slaughter of civilians in Ukraine. Horrific videos (extreme warning!) make the slaughter very clear and undeniable -- even to a State Department spokesperson were he or she to bother to look.

www.ronpaulinstitute.org...

What a surprise

Is he still working for his former masters in Washington, DC?

Two diplomatic messages from the WikiLeaks Public Library on U.S. Diplomacy indicate that newly elected President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko was an agent for United States State Department. A confidential message from the U.S. Embassy in Kiev on April 29, 2006 mentions the newly elected Ukraine president twice.

" During an April 28 meeting with Ambassador, Our Ukraine (OU) insider Petro Poroshenko emphatically denied he was using his influence with the Prosecutor General to put pressure on Tymoshenko lieutenant Oleksandr."

" During an April 28 meeting with Ambassador, Our Ukraine (OU) insider Petro Poroshenko denied that he was behind Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko's recent decision to issue an arrest warrant for Tymoshenko lieutenant Oleksandr Turchynov. " [to] question him about the alleged destruction of SBU [Ukraine intel] files on organized crime figure Seymon Mogilievich." [Russian Mafia Boss of Bosses] WikiLeaks Public Library of U.S. Diplomacy

www.opednews.com...

originally posted by: letscit
The Baltic Sea and skies are getting crowded as Russia launches military training of its assault forces in the exclave of Kaliningrad in answer to the double war-games being conducted by joint NATO forces on the territory of the three Baltic States.

Tanks, troops, jets: NATO countries launch full-scale war games in Baltic

NATO’s decision to conduct dual war games next to Russian borders in the Baltic has not been left unaddressed by Russia’s Defense Ministry, which prepared a surprise training of first strike forces – marines, paratroopers and long-range bombers - right in the backyard of the NATO military maneuvers.

“We conduct military training simultaneously with the international war games that have started in Europe, Saber Strike-2014 and BALTOPS-2014,” said the ministry’s press service.

Defense Ministry noted that the military might engaged in training in the Kaliningrad Region is by all means comparable with the NATO’s forces concentrated on the nearby territory of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where Saber Strike-2014 is conducted on June 9-20 and sea-based BALTOPS-2014 training held in the Baltic on June 6-21.

The Russian maneuvers involve the use of naval groups, marines, landing operations of airborne forces, air defense training and firing exercise of front-line aviation.

“All-arms naval groups will maintain border and sea communication defense, and will perform training to search and destroy hypothetical aggressor’s submarines and combat ships,” the ministry commented to RBC news outlet.

The paratrooper division from Pskov will be training operational deployment to Kaliningrad, whereas marines will be training defending the coastal line from possible sea-borne landing and will also perform isolation and elimination of illegal armed groups.

The Air Force is to provide fire support with Su-34 fighter-bombers and Mi-24 assault helicopters.

Deployment of supersonic Tu-22M3 long-range strategic maritime strike bombers, some of which have just the day before finished training in the Black Sea, has also been announced. Together with the air defense forces they will patrol the area to make sure the airspace of the training is securely sealed off.

NATO’s training in the Baltic is an annual event yet this time the number of troops taking part has been augmented considerably. In 2013 there were 1,800 troops involved, while Saber Strike 2014 has become the largest-ever, with 4,700 troops and over 800 military vehicles, such as M2 Bradley, M1126 Stryker, and various APCs: XA-180, XA-202 and M113 taking part in the training.

Besides the two NATO war-games, the Baltic States are holding Baltic Host 2014 military cooperation training of their own near Riga.

Saber Strike 2014 has hosted troops from Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already dubbed even the rotational military build-up near the Russian borders as an act of hostility directly violating the NATO-Russia Founding Act of 1997, Lavrov’s First Deputy Vladimir Titov told Interfax.

With the background of developments in Ukraine, the beef-up of NATO’s military presence near Russian borders, “just like during the 08.08.08 war in the North Caucasus, it rather creates additional problems instead of helping to solve them, Titov said.

On Monday Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting his Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja that, “The artificial attempt to continue NATO's eastward expansion, progression of the military infrastructure to the east, closer to Russia's borders, is counterproductive.”

rt.com...

Im betting NATO changes the theme of this one usually its a middle east country as the enemy betting they pick a european one this time. Bet they model the force after Russia so NATO will be fighting Russian equipment. Amazing Putin making friends all over the world.

a reply to: letscit

Great reporting.

West will lose in Ukraine.

Russia is handling the situation with patience and foresight. Russia will be the victor.

The gas pipelines do not matter. This is a war already and war has economic cost.

Heres an article exposing more lies of Russian bloggers. They started this new save Donbass campaign turns out theres a problem. Also shows a little behind the scenes of Russian paid trolls.

ukraineatwar.blogspot.nl...

Health Minister: At least 210, including 14 children, killed during anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine
www.kyivpost.com... 51437.html

a reply to: dragonridr

Your link does not work.

There are always paid propagandists in any war - on both sides.

Propagandists do not determine the outcome of the war.

I predict Russia will win the war in Ukraine.

The losses will be high - both civilian and military on both sides. Russian civilian losses are high due to participation of mercenaries from Poland etc.