by Igor Druze (Igor Strelkov’s Advisor)
translated from Russian by Gleb Bazov
The Militia was forced to leave Slavyansk. Of course, we were prepared to stand firm to the end, and were ready to obey any order to that effect from the Commander-in-Chief. All of us had prepared wills and said our farewells to our kin. But we are military people, and we also were prepared to follow a different order. All the more so, because we trust absolutely both Igor Strelkov’s decency and his military experience.
After all, this man is a veteran of four wars; as a volunteer, to boot. What would have happened if the Russian army had decided to hold Moscow to the end in 1812, or Kiev in 1941? There would not have been the taking of Paris or, respectively, Berlin; instead, the army—“Russia’s only ally”—would have perished in vain. I am absolutely certain of our victory, and that we will also liberate Kiev. The only remaining question is: at what price in blood and how quickly?
Accordingly, it is very strange suddenly to read the wild speculations of some purported patriots that Igor Strelkov is now guilty of everything under the sun. Including—of the surrender of the city. It would be better if they remembered how [Igor Strelkov] and his fearless fighters for months heroically stopped the advance of an entire army, even though they numbered only in the hundreds, and, by the end, consisted of a couple of thousands [militiamen]. Armed almost exclusively with small arms, they held back an offensive by fifteen thousand professional servicemen.
And, meanwhile, Igor Strelkov asked for help, spoke of the need for the introduction of peacekeeping troops, or, at least, for massive supplies of heavy weaponry from Russia. But no one listened to him. Nay, in the last few days, several commanders even betrayed [the Militia], thereby stripping Slavyansk of flanking defences on the side of its surburb, Nikolayevka.
Without any hope of help from Russia, further defence of the city by the numerically small forces of the militiamen against a regular army would have meant a futile death for practically the only battle-worthy, experienced units of the Donbass People’s Militia.
As well as the complete destruction of the city with its civilians. Indeed, the Ukie tactics are a form of artillery genocide. They are very concerned about losing their manpower, and that is why they simply pull up howitzers and Grad systems to our residential areas, and then pummel them, methodically devastating one district after another. Take this, for example: the Ukies almost entirely demolished Russkaya Street in Slavyansk. It looks as if the battery commander looked at his navigator, at the city map, saw the hated name, and specifically decided to level Russkaya Street.
However, there was plenty of destruction to go around for other streets as well. The scenes that I observed are indescribable in their horror: a confused 3-year old child going mad right in front of your eyes, screaming in an unnatural voice; priests performing funeral services for an entire section of an apartment block, walking around a dozen coffins set up beside the devastated homes of the deceased. It was in order to stop this monstrous Ukie “peacemaking” that the Militia Commander-in-Chief, Strelkov, decided to withdraw our forces.
And yet, there are already speculations that the Militia units left via some special “corridor” organized for them by Poroshenko. This is complete delirium. You need to understand that the blockade of Slavyansk had not yet been fully completed, and we could still leave via country roads. It is another matter that these roads were also open to artillery fire, most likely from Karachun.
That is why Igor Ivanovich gave the order for a diversion to be performed—by attacking the positions of the Ukie army with our numerically small armoured vehicle group. Our Nona and the tanks began striking at them, while, at the same time, the Militia drove toward Kramatorsk in “Ural” and “Kamaz” trucks, in microvans and cars. Some of our tankists died a heroic death; the list of their names is being confirmed, and they will be posthumously awarded Novorossiyan Orders of St. George.
Of course, we could not avoid the confusion inevitable in such a fairly large-scale operation. Having forgotten the order to maintain a blackout, some of the drivers drove with headlights turned on; they forgot to tape their headlamps. The enemy launched its drones and flare rockets. They have a huge number of drones, which I found out first-hand in a previous night time raid. As a result, the enemy was finally able to detect us, and the tail-end of our column came under Grad fire.
Personally, I was lucky—my men and I were at the head of the column and were unharmed. Although our vehicle was initially in the tail-end, later on (due to a local guide’s mistake), we were forced to turn everyone around, and our vehicle ended up at the head of the column.
Unfortunately, in the course of the artillery strike, the families of militiamen that were being evacuated to escape the punitive forces of the enemy came in harm’s way. A woman and a little girl were wounded; transport vehicles were damaged. The exact numbers of our losses during the evacuation from Slavyansk are being verified.
At the same time, it is even more offensive to hear criticism coming from many directions because any “conspiracy” with the Ukie government that was attempting to destroy us during the withdrawal is simply unimaginable. Similarly improbable are the rumours about our “enormous losses” during the redeployment of the forces. Why do you repeat Ukie lies?
In fact, overall, the operation was a resounding success for Strelkov, and, despite the difficulties (navoidable in such situations), he was able to evacuate almost the entire personnel of the Militia (over ninety percent of it), and practically all the weaponry. This is a great boon to the defence of Donetsk, and this is now our highest priority.
As for the office-plankton patriots that criticize Strelkov from afar, I can only say one thing to you: come here and demonstrate your talents on the field of battle, if you believe yourself smarter and braver than he is. We always need volunteers.
Forgive us for not dying in Slavyansk. We may yet have a chance to die in Donetsk if Russia will not help us.
Igor Druze
Advisor to the DPR Minister of Defence
in Questions of Information and Politics
Great work!
Great Work!!!
Interesting news – a Ukrainian technical observation point on the Azov sea coast was attacked by a group of around 15 people which arrived in two small boats with mortars and automatic weapons. The observation point was destroyed. There have been similar incidents before (on land). It appears that someone has been systematically trying to “blind” the Ukies along the border.
twower.livejournal.com/1357528.html
sorry, I lost the link
All my support goes to the brave people of Donetsk and the heroes defending Novorossia against the hordes of American sponsored nazi-scum.
The people of Eaestern Ukraine will prevail and Kiev shall be Russian again!
Thank you all the brave fighters of Slavyansk. Good managed to get out the blockaded city and live for another battle. And I will never forget the bravery of the small team of heroes who sacrificed their lives to divert the Ukie army.
Спасибо, смели бойци.
От България
May the Lord protect the Militiamen!
A great escape by Strelkov and his team.
One valuable result – he has deprived Poroshenko of his expected publicity blaze celebrating the capture of Strelkov, dead or preferably alive. So what did the Yukies get? A photo opportunity of them running up a flag on an undefended building. That should go down as a Great Ukrainian* Military Victory. Glory to (new) Ukraine. Glory to Her Heroes.
* By Ukraine, I mean the new Ukraine of the current fascist junta. I realize that some, many, maybe all of the Russia speakers in the east of Ukraine may regards themselves as proud citizens of the pre-junta Ukraine. The same applies to any decent non-fascist Ukrainian speakers. This is in now way intended to slur their patriotism and bravery. Their Ukraine is gone, maybe temporarily but certainly for the time being. Hopefully something can be recovered.
The Ukie army is now doing the smae thing to Lugansk that it did to Slavansk – they are using artillery and airpower to shell and bomb the civilians and infrastructure of a European city.
Is there no legal/political mechanism to halt this immediately, or do we have to watch and let the citizens of Lugansk be murdered?
The UkeNazis have drones and alot of them? I wonder who would be so generous to the junta. US/Israel technical advisor. Putin is now being pushed further into a corner as geopolitical payback for Syria and he will need to breakout like Kursk.
He must now stop showing civility to those who are so willing to spit at his face.
ALL of the weapons (90%). If that is true that is quite a feat.
https://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C53628C52C2519/
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9e422a76-d212-11e3-97a6-00144feabdc0.html
Putin is more than ready to sacrifice East Ukraine. He seems to be in a permanent self-delusional mode. for some reallly weird reason, he seems to think that selling free of charge Novorossiya to the Nazi Junta will be good for doing business with his “Western partners”. Amazing. Neville Chamberlain, at least, thought he was fighting for peace
So let’s get real here and try to see through the seductive smoke of idealism and emotion for an instant. Whatever you or I think of the depravity of Kiev’s forces, they have proven to themselves and to all intelligent observers that they’ve found the antidote to Novorossiya, i.e. withering concentration of indiscriminate killing power against Novorossiya assets sans Kremlin direct all out military intervention = certain victory/ annihilation of Novorossiya. The only variable to this formula is how long and how much death and destruction it’ll take to reach their goal because without a Kremlin direct military invasion, Kiev has no reason to capitulate. If Washington has financed and nurtured this project of a Russophobic/ totalitarian banderistan through the uncertain days of its infancy, when the odds were stacked against it, it is dillusional to put it mildly, to assume they’ll abandon it now that the project is coming to full fruition and all the geopolitical/ pipeline benefits that’ll come with its completion. Conversely, if the Kremlin hasn’t militarily invaded after all the death and destruction since maidan, it will be next to miraculous to expect them to do so now or in the near future- since matters have been complicated exponentially since maidan. In conclusion, isn’t the only certain result of the prolongation of this armed resistance/ rebellion the fact that more of the population will perish for a lost cause? Why turn Donbass into another slaviansk and Kramatorsk only to be surrendered after an enormous price in blood and destruction has been exacted from the native population. If Novorossiya isn’t fighting to win, what’s the point of all this sacrifice? Who’s to blame for the plight of the innocent population caught up in this war, Kiev’s forces who have proven their disregard/ disdain for the population in the east or the resistance/rebels/DPR-LPR/ Strelkov’s forces who claim to exist only to defend the population of the east? Because as much as Kiev has proven its disdain and willingness to slaughter the victims of this war, Strelkov/ Novorossiya have proven their inability to protect its population. All they’ve done so far is proven their ability to preserve themselves at the expense of the population. Novorossiya was a bluff, a gamble like Crimea who’s success depended entirely on the acquiescence and subservience of Kiev. It worked in Crimea, it’s failed in Novorossiya. Putin has indicated as much with his unwillingness to expend anymore pointless but finite capital on this project, it’s time for the hotheads with the guns to take the hint, or just take pity of the victimized population of the east and give up the insanity.
Just saying.
If true, just… wow.
Hacked Facebook Correspondence Indicates a Burgeoning Trade in Organs of Ukrainian Soldiers
http://slavyangrad.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/hacked-facebook-correspondence-indicates-a-burgeoning-trade-in-organs-of-ukrainian-soldiers/
Using a German surgeon, no less.
Pointless carnage said…
Just saying…….
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Good for you for saying absolutely nothing! The pity is that you wasted 15 minutes of your time and 5 minutes of everyone else’s.
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The important roles of Slavyansk
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/07/05/the-important-roles-of-slavyansk.html
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Graham Phillips linked to this post – put your best troll armor on, Saker, cause he’s got some real nasties ;-)
The impatience of the few has ignited the violence against the civilians. The Donbass movement was imprudent. Time was on their side if they had waited. They actually ignored Putin’s leadership and now decry his inaction in clobbering Kiev’s military.
Idealism in rebellions usually ends poorly.
Now the Donbass movement has to be sustained against a psychologically excited Army that three days ago was moribund and half-beaten.
Rationalizing traitors among his leaders (2 oe 3), losing some of his best (Motorola, Machete, and the guys who ran the diversion and got obliterated), Strelkov has a lot to answer for. Now he has to swiftly transform into a guerrilla attack force and put a few large defeats on the enemy.
He apparently will have the lives of the policemen and young men rounded up on his conscience soon. His strategy is woeful. It assumes he can bait Russia into war when NATO can’t.
He should look to the FMLN in El Salvador for their military strategy and tactics. The guerrilla leader was Villalobos. He was ranked the greatest battalion-sized infantry leader since Rommel. He killed Army leaders on tennis courts, in their helos, wherever, and he and his forces eluded tracking from planes and satellites. He could mass and then disappear.
He did not sit in a city and get it pounded to dust.
Joaquin Villalobos fought the US, the death squads and a vicious Army to a standstill.
Strelkov and his chorus sound like they can’t beat the conscript Army, the mercenaries or the Right Sector. It is a heavy responsibility to take innocent people into a war. Now many of them are facing a final solution while he plans his next escape route.
I hope I am wrong about Igor. But Putin is not moving to take his bait. Thank God.
Lucky said…
Good for you for saying absolutely nothing! The pity is that you wasted 15 minutes of your time and 5 minutes of everyone else’s.
——————–
He may have, I don’t know. W/O paragraphs it’s hard to tell….
An explanation that makes sense is that there is more than one faction in the Kremlin, and they strongly disagree on how to proceed. One of them wants Project Novorossia to die, the other wants to help it come into being as much as possible. This is what is leading to continued dithering. What the outcome of this struggle is going to be is unclear at the moment.
Thank you for this report – there is nothing to be said against the bravery of your defense and it is far better that you were able to keep your people together – it is what the revolutionary armies did in this country, and you will succeed eventually because the people support you.
I am Old Calendar Orthodox, and today’s reading at the liturgy was from Saint Matthew, Chapter 8:
“As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him and saying,”Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard him, he marvelled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
****
To those that criticize:- Begone! You have no place here.
Whoever argues for a “stand and fight to the last bullet!” Hitlerite viewpoint is a moron in my eyes.
Strelkov did the right thing.
Lets not forget the bravery and honour of those that led the diversion for the breakout to succeed either.
My belief is that more of the east and south will rise up when the knowledge of the PUkes brutality spreads. It is the only natural reaction when you, your loved ones and your homes are threatened with death and destruction to take a weapon in your hands and fight for your right to exist.
And as the fighting and deaths escalate I would imagine how the mothers and families in the central and western Ukraine feel about loosing loved ones. Hopefully they will ask questions. Is it worth sacrificing your lives for people like Poroshenko and his ilk? Is it worth dying for american world hegemony? Hopefully many will decide that NO, it is not worth it. And hopefully that will lead to another, more progressive and final uprising against the Ukrainian government. One that embraces ALL the people of Ukraine. One that sets human lives above dollars.
One can still hope for many things. Hope. What keeps most of us going.
Norwegian Bob
WOW, I can not believe what “Pointless carnage” is saying. Maybe Russian should have stay under Napoleon or Hitler’s rule. after all, all that resistant at beginning are “Pointless carnage”.
Also think about every colonized country has raise up against the colorizing master in the world despite uneven blood shed and lost life. Just maybe the life free from some one else’s brutal rule, and exploitation worth fighting for?
Oh I forgot, they can spare you a iphone, a pint of beer, life is all set.
@ Larchmonter445
Motorola is alive and well. I have never heard of Machete, who is he?
@Lucky
Larchmonter445 put my prose into poetry, so there, between the two styles you should understand the message and counter with something at least equally well thought out. Shooting at the messenger only serves to amplify the message. Again, how is prolonging this conflict and and taking up defensive positions behind the population of Donetsk supposed to better the lot of the population in the east? People’s lives and livelihoods are being irretrievably decimated to soothe the egos of a few misguided idealists. Their well developed sense of self preservation should be extended to all concerned. Do you think those who perished for the cause in slaviansk and Kramatorsk would have sacrificed their livelihoods had they known their leaders would bailout once cornered?
All these criticisms of Putin seem premature — if not immature.
Putin may turn out to be the clueless, one-dimensional figure his critics make him out to be (though I doubt it).
But there is also much to suggest that he may be sacrificing a piece here and there for the sake of an eventual checkmate.
Only time will reveal which of the two possibilities it is.
In any case, he is presently preparing trips to Cuba and three other Latin American countries victimized by the Evil Empire — in effect defiantly stepping into the Yankees’ backyard. In view of his recent triumphs in China and Austria, it seems safe to argue that he is no passive spectator in the current drama.
Those armchair strategists overly quick to damn the master in the Kremlin cannot but serve the forces of defeatism.
-Armenian Catholic
“…if Russia will not help us.”
Those who criticize Putin for not intervening militarily to support the Eastern Ukrainian insurgents make the same mistake as those who defend Moscow for staying clear of a military entanglement. Both sides of this argument accept the assumption that it is Russia”s responsibility to end Kiev’s aggression.
We need to stay focussed on the fact that it was Washington who freed the russo-phobic Frankenstein from its lair, not Moscow. It is Washington, not Moscow, who feeds the beast with money, weapons, and training. It is Washington, not Moscow, who consistently urges the monster forward and provides it with diplomatic and PR cover.
While Putin does everything he possibly can to promote a peaceful end to the conflict, the Obama administration seeks only to intensify it.
The bloodshed and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine are not the result of Moscow’s alleged inaction; they are a direct consequence of Western intransigence and belligerence.
Please, let us stop arguing about what Putin could, should, will, or won’t do. Let us concentrate instead on what might be done to change the trajectory of foreign policy in West European and North American countries.
And yes, I know, maybe there is not much that can be done, and perhaps it will take years, decades, or generations to see any appreciable results. But we have to stop hoping that the people in Ukraine, or Russia, or China, or wherever will somehow halt the agenda of the New World Order. The future of humanity does not rest in the hands of the Ukrainian resistance; it rests in ours, each and every one of us.
@ oliver green
Machete was mentioned in some of Strelkov’s talks after the flank was breached and he said he had 2-3 leaders who were traitors. Led their men off the flank and opened the onslaught.
He sent Motorola and Machete to hold the ground, and it seemed he left them there as rear guard.
I heard him talking over a hand comm unit to one of them. It sounded that the situation was going to hell in a hurry And it did. He didn’t even have the names of the turncoat leaders when it happened. Their names were published later.
The retreat clearly was under duress. It was necessary, but unplanned. The front broke at the flank.
This indicated that he did not have good internal Intel on the militia. No suspicion anyone was a traitor until it happened.
I really think he is delusional at times.
Heroes often are filled with delusion.
His best men, from the videos I’ve seen are in their 40’s and 50’s, probably from his days at war. But he had Putin and the nation behind him in Chechnya. This is an adventure into glory that can’t be.
I hope he can swiftly grab a victory. But with the reports that the skies are filled with drones, the Ukies have the Intel.
I have some question for ever right Larchmonter445 here, I hope I can find answer:
If Rf want Donbas to postpone referendum, why is it ask only two days before, and ask them in the media instead talk to them with reasoning from back channel?
Do you think RF will act all? If so, what is they waiting for? More UKR army concentrate in one place? Kiev fall on it’s weight (if so, do you know when it will happen)? US fell on it’s own weight (if so do know when it will happen)?
How long take FMLN in El Salvador to perfect their strategy, and how long has Strelkov in Donbas? Didn’t Strelkov fight UKR army to a stand still with a few man and a few obsolete weapon? Too bad the weapon you claim RF give to them did not materialize. They had to take some museum piece.
Wasn’t you a few post before claim what happened is going to happen any way, why all of sudden changed, and it went back to every thing is all Strelkov and NovoRossia’s fault?
I do not appreciate your comments regarding Strelkov and Novorossia. NVDF deserve a base, where they can go get strong and grew. Since RF took away Crimea, you think RF will give them a base to fight their rights? Or you think they should have all die in Slovyansk?
@ Larchmonter445
I agree completely with the futility of defending cities. No matter what they or Russia do, civilians will die. It is an unfortunate reality of war, even if they are not directly targeted. If possible though, I do think it would be wise to leave a small force to provide a nuisance for the occupying soldiers, while the the main focus should be on disrupting supply lines and ambushing counterinsurgency patrols. This forces the Junta to defend a larger area, providing an advantage to the guerrillas, even if they don’t have mountains like Afghanistan or jungles like Vietnam. This strategy gives them back their single greatest advantage: time.
Guerilla warfare works well when there is cover, like forests or mountains. Donbass is pretty much all steppe (Slvayansk is actually an exception). There is no way to hide a large force. The only real cover there is the urban sprawl of the huge Donetsk-Lugansk agglomeration.
Dominic Schmid, exact what you said. They need a area to develop and perfect their techniques. They already started using mine. With mine, miners and tech (wireless, cell, radio) base in the area, they will do fine. But the need a safe heaven, and people to development. If one only stay in mountains, or hide all day, then all he do is worry about your basic needs, not way you can grew.
“The retreat clearly was under duress. It was necessary, but unplanned. The front broke at the flank.”
You are misinformed. It now appears that the breakout from Slavyansk had been planned for 2-3 weeks, if not longer.
@ Anonymous 22:09
some answers for you.
Putin was making it absolutely clear in public. Maybe back channel was not being listened to or not spread throughout Donbass. Ego on the ground for the new self-appointed, undemocratic leadership may have ignored Putin’s private counsel.
FMLN was a classic revolution on the left. Men from the city with education and erudition went to the country and lived with the people. The Church leadership in Salvador was with the people. There were Death Squads terrorizing. The US. tried counter-insurgency but the people outside San Salvador sacrificed to support the FMLN. It was not a saintly group. They had a few killings among their leadership. But Villalobos understood action and movement and stealth. He attacked.
The other successful guerrilla war was the Viet Cong. Until they impaled themselves in the Tet Offensive they were very good at destroying the ARVN and harming the US.
Each of these had years of preparation. Donbass had a few weeks of watching TV about Maidan and Crimea. Idiotic to start an armed rebellion.
RF will not use an invading army in Ukraine.
Strelkov did not fight the Ukie Army to a standstill.
Kiev measured the high ground out of range of his armaments, put their mortars and artillery in place, dug in and bombarded the villages and towns and cities. The Ukie goal is ethnic cleansing and Strelkov’s strategy was to sit in the city and taunt them with his men’s successes. He lost mobility quickly. It took over two months to open up border crossings. The militias should have organized very close to the border, and absolutely should never have lost Mariupol where they could have had a protected sea support life line. Controlling a port city meant he could have gotten his hands on a mysterious boat load of used GRADS and artillery pieces.
I know people will hate me for my thoughts.
But leaders sometimes screw up.
I pray he can come up with decisive victories soon.
His calls to Putin for help should be to all comrades in arms anywhere Russians have fought who would come and assist. He needs thousands more fighters to defend and capture and hold. He needs to destroy the planes that bomb. It was clear that the bombers avoid the militia and strike the outlying villages and towns. Artillery positions are unmolested because he could not interdict their supply lines.
The terrain of Donbass would suit Technicals, like the Islamic terrorists rig. Trucks and SUV’s that move fast over fairly flat terrain. He could have attacked and driven them out early on. Again, they began a fight too soon.
He clearly needed to “rent a plane” from somewhere one night and bomb Karuchun Mt. He needed something imaginative to reverse the inevitable. The Viet Cong and the FMLN found those “surprises” and Strelkov hasn’t as yet.
If it were my decision, other than withdrawing into Russia all the militia, I would attack and take Mariupol. And I would cut off the fleeing Nat Guard and Right Sector and annihilate them. And I would stack their bodies like cord wood for Kiev and all the Banderastan to contemplate.
But that’s easy to say. I don’t know his logistics and whether he has the right manpower to do anything.
Dying for nation may be bravery but is foolishness; killing the nations’enemies is bravery and wise.
Larchmonter445, I do not agree with you. Viet Cong had North’s ultimate, unwavering support witch NRDF did not have. Mariupol is Rinat Akhmetov’s world, that must be a main factor for its status. All your creativity is very impressive, but it remains where he can get funding, equipment and support. like Lucky said he will accept if none of RF solider set a foot on Novorossia, but will not accept if NRDF is in need of one bullets, one piece of artillery, or one tank. Also you should have answer as why RF was sending tanks, planes, and other military equipment back to UKR from Crimea while fighting is going on.
I read Strelkov is the one get to Crimea, and returned Crimea back to RF. I do not think he sets on coach watch TV, then thought about he need to go to Slovyansk. on the other hand, I believe you seating on the Coach and spew nonsense as if you know what is really going on on the ground. You did not even know Motorola made out fine.
I guess Strelkov is guilty at assuming RF will support people of Novorossia.
@anon 01:37 “I believe you’re sitting on your couch and spewing nonsense”
I think all larchmonter445 is pointing out is the obvious, which even you admit to. If Strelkov didn’t even secure the unconditional support of VV Putin before this adventure in Novorossiya, what right did he have to mislead the citizens of the east with promises of Russian military intervention, when he knew there was no such guarantee.
Who in their right minds would knowingly initiate an armed uprising against an exponentially superior force, without first guaranteeing that a stronger ally would join the fight in a timely manner? Those poor people in the east basically invited an extermination campaign by giving Kiev all the pretext necessary to ethnically cleanse them. And Strelkov’s tactics in Slaviansk and Kramatorsk concentrates Kiev’s artillery squarely on the peoples backs just long enough to wipe them out, before moving on to the next target.
You have to admit, Larchmonter445 is right to point out that however noble Strelkov’s motivations maybe, he is facilitating and speeding up the rate of the ethnic cleansing campaign, not stopping or even impeding it- which should be his goal. He is also taking away the advantage of the element of time which seemed to favor VV at the initial stage of the conflict. A real tragedy is happening in eastern Ukraine and pointing out the flaws in the general’s strategy should be encouraged not drowned out in an avalanche of false hero worship. If all his efforts fail, he’s still likely to escape unharmed to Russia, ( he’s an able soldier who has proven his talent at survival in past wars so it isn’t a stretch to assume he’ll escape this war too) leaving a moonscape in his wake, those people he’s sacrificing, deserve a better strategy than hope and the roll of the dice. 20million Citizens of the USSR paid for the on-the-job training of soviet generals during WWII, and most of those generals survived the carnage to write the history books. You’ve won a fan in me Larchmonter445, don’t let them silence you.
Withdrawing in the face of certain destruction is the only logical thing they could do. Slaviyansk will stand as a lesson and a rally point though. Everybody in Novorussia should now understand that there is no accommodation with the Nazis. Surrender peacefully – be exterminated. The only choice is to fight now. No mercy.
@The Anonymous who doesn’t have the answers but disagrees anyway.
Don’t engage and ask questions if you don’t like the answers or me. Just write your opinions. I don’t much care if you don’t like me. Lots of people don’t like me. Big deal.
We’ll see if Strelkov is able to lead an insurgency.
I wish him well.
I think blaming any leader in Russia for not rescuing Donbass is ludicrous. The uprising was from a small minority of the total population. Voting was a dare to the Kiev lunatics to come kill people. Now that they have with an Army with artillery and an Air Force with bombs backed by the U.S. and NATO and every fascist on earth, the Donbass leaders want Russian troops to protect them.
What’s the plan for the Russians who come to the rescue? Surround Donbass and stare down the Ukies? Or maybe the Russians should bomb Kiev.
Get real. This was a total screwup on the ground in Donetsk and Lugansk. Now many hundreds are dead, many times that are injured. Refugees and homeless, and the operation to ethnically cleanse the Donbass is in full swing. Thousands more will die without the militia firing one more shot because the death machine is moving.
I don’t need four stars on my epaulets to know this needed Putin and Moscow to plan it from the start.
Che Guevara would not listen to Fidel Castro when he wanted to spread the Revolution to Latin America. Castro locked him up for one year to think about it. Then he let him go, but warned him he would fail. Bolivia was not ready for an insurrection. The people sold him out, the US hunted him down and killed him.
The concept of insurgency requires gross injustice first. People have to have life or death reasons to risk going against an Army. Threats don’t reach the threshold. Actual slaughter does.
Right now the people in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk would be more open to supporting and fighting. But the entire process was ass-backwards. And now in the cities, filtration, executions and cleansing will be the result.
This is doubly tragic outcome.
If Strelkov had waited to secure RF support, than Crimea will still be part of Ukraine, and Novorossia will be decisively in much better shape with a safe heaven than what it is in now. If RF had not take over Crimea, then I doubt the hatred for Russian will be as extreme. If you are taking one action, then prepare for the consequence. So RF act on Crimea, but elect not to ack on SE, not even money and equipment which US is openly give to Ukraine. So you consider this behavior is acceptable?
What timing advantage vv had that Strelkov’s action took away? It is VV squandered initial advantage of taking action while enemy was weak, small, and in disarray, and now the disadvantage grew exponentially because his inaction. What reason make you think after RF took away Crimea, and UKR nationalist will be seat around doing nothing, and not start to taking out on SE? Do you not think that RF is bounded to support its own people with needed money and equipment? If you have not watch Sergei Glazyev speech, please take a peek, it may give you some pointers.
The fact still what he does not know what is going on, and present it as if he know.
When RF took away Crimea, the first shot was fired. Ukraine nationalist started to mobilizing, and expanding. Taking them on, or support Strelkov very early with right equipment, a lot of tragedy could have been avoided, a lot less people could have died on both side. It is RF lack of plan. It is RF misjudged. Strelkov only misjudged RF.
Larchmonter445:
You should know that in war whatever plan you had is usually garbage after the first week. That certainly happened in Novorossiya – what was expected to be at least a three Oblast rebellion – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kharkov – was reduced to two after various events in Kharkov in late April shortly after the rebellion began. So where Slavyansk seemed like a nice centrally located point initially, suddenly it was at the spear tip of confrontation.
A good war plan is a contingency plan with a primary objective and many ways of achieving that objective and reacting to enemy counterthrusts, with a preferred means and alternate means depending on enemy reactions.
I am unable to say what the war plan is of Strelkov. However, were I in his place, my primary objective would be the following – permanent removal of all Ukrainian Armed Forces from Novorossiya territory. My goal from the achievement of this objective would be the political unification of all willing Russian speaking oblasts in the Ukrainian State into a new state – Novorossiya – free of the influence of Galicia and Ukrainianism. My means of obtaining this goal would be either the total destruction of the UAF in the field in battle or the capture of the UAF command center in Kiev such that all willing UAF forces from areas of Novorossiya would be turned to become NAF forces and a forced overthrow or compromise of the Maidan Coup Government into recognition of a formal partition of Ukraine between Galician Maidan Coup forces and Novorosssiya. These aren’t actually mutually exclusive, as the desired maximum Novorossiya would include Kiev and draw a border from Moldova to the Pripyat Marshes.
With that objective-goal-means, I would then look at the tools needed to achieve it – namely, raising, training, and arming a rebel army. If we start with the assumption that massive supplies are not coming from Mother Russia, the Slavyansk area also makes sense from having easy access to the arms depot of Soledar and the Artemovisk tank base, as well as being located to protect the primary highway into Donetsk and Lugansk from the natural staging point of Kharkov.
Now lets fast forward to today. Kharkov didn’t rebell, Slavyansk ended up exposed and in need of a tactical retreat, but Strelkov did raise, train, and arm an army there. UAF has shown up and exposed its forces in an attempt at a giant pincer movement. The NAF needs to start working towards its objective – ridding Novorossiya of UAF forces. This means attacking and cutting off the pincers while forcing a redployment of the frontal assualt forces pouring in from Kharkov by weakening the flanks of the encirclement. Your suggestion of an attack on Mariupol is shrewd in this regard, as it chops off the southern pincer and also destablizes the northwestern front by opening a southern front in the direction of Melitopol and Odessa where NAF forces can rightfully expect to find many friendlies who could be induced to join while remaining in safe operational space where a retreat back towards Donbass and Russia or by sea to Crimea or Kuban is always possible. In this respect, recent attacks at Novoazovsk are interesting.
I agree with anonymous @3.36. at times I think Russia regrets why it took Crimea as this has weakened its hand in dealing with Novorossia. Putin seems unsure of how to approach this matter and is assuming a truce will happen. it wont. the consequences of taking crimea and Russia seating back ignoring the plight of east Ukraine will stay for a long time. Blaming Streklov can’t change the situation as is now. what seems clear is that should the novorussia project collapse attention will be turned to Crimea in every way diplomatically, or otherwise threatening the integrity of Russia in the near future.
Bad analogy, Anon (06 July, 2014 19:22). “Neville Chamberlain, at least, thought he was fighting for peace.”
The Czechs had a defence alliance with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union wanted to activate it. The Czechs had a huge army, strong defences, and a powerful arms industry. Chamberlain knew a German putsch was in the offing if he held firm. Yet Chamberlain insisted that the Soviet Union be kept out of the picture. Far from wanting peace, he wanted the Nazis to take on the USSR.
Novorossiya had insufficient arms and troops. The putschists in Kiev had powerful external support, and had intimidated internal opposition. Russia warned Novorossiya not to jump the gun. Russia wanted a federated Ukraine to guarantee the rights of Russian-speakers.
While the West’s human rights organisations have all remained supportively quiescent in the face of massive atrocities, Russia has done the heavy lifting in diplomacy, advocacy and reporting.
Congratulations, Anonymous; you have proved Larchmonter445’s point.
Putin got gamed by Sarkozy and so is he being gamed by Merkel now? But he has to take the bait and accept the delay to taking action.
The outcomes Putin is looking at
1. Take action… west Ukraine in shambles.
2. Wait… NATO shaken and behind to unwind, west and east Ukraine in shambles and then take action, if he is not being gamed.
3. Wait… NATO laughs at him, west Ukraine in shambles, takes action in the east… look east policy set in stone as there will be no more talk that the EU is being forced to act as such.
In my opinion, NAF should decide if its a partisan/guerilla operation, or a full-fledged army. otherwise they are bound for the same fate as PLO in Lebanon in the 1982 war against Israel.
If you are a partisan, melt into the population/forests and start ambushing anything that moves.
If you are a mechanised army, meet the ukr/us in the steppe around Donetsk and smash them in the open field.
Parochial attitude leads to defeat.
A.Hilel
All the guerrilla war examples you point out are from pre-industrialized countries where fighters are farmers, and rural community are large enough to sustain the fighters and fighting. In Ukraine, that tactic will not work. But with cities as safe heaven, that will enable a effective guerrilla war.
Do you think guerrilla bases did not get bomb to dust? That is because you did not look, and they did not report.
The samples you should look at is Islamic rebels that is fighting and winning right now with US help.
Of course NRDF need to improve tactics, So does RF.
I still say you do not know what is going on, your analysis has some merit, but flawed.
@Andrew
I really don’t see signs of an army formed from the militias. Maybe, they have the manpower. But, nowhere in any video are there even company-sized groupings. They are bands of very brave old men fighting with their wits and small arms.
Without men, without a winning strategy, without popular support, they have a huge internal security problem of fifth columnists, turncoats and sabotage to deal with.
Strelkov is talking about cleaning up the mess in the city of Donetsk.
The transfer of refugees from Donbass to Crimea was dicey and dangerous. Getting a southern front going seems improbable without a formation of fighters coming from Crimea itself.
If Strelkov was a true strategist, he would have formed an Army there in Crimea (reportedly he was there with the Green Men), exfiltrate it out to key points in the South and East, hold Mariupol and then there would have been an underpinning for a decisive destruction of the Ukie Army.
It is very late in the game. I think it is in its final stages. Rebellion is high risk business. Usually you get one chance to survive. Though Castro had a few chances and made the most of it.
This Donbass rebellion reminds me of the crushing of American Indian holdout tribes who wouldn’t obey Washington, D.C. The Army had an advantage. They wanted to wipeout the tribe while the Tribe wanted its Freedom. The Tribes knew they couldn’t defeat the Great Father in Washington. But many fought until they were vanquished and imprisoned in reservations, their leaders separated from the people or slain.
Imagine the force size and the equipment differential, the lack of means of mobility, air superiority, allies and agents assisting, and the difference in military goals. Kiev wants to kill everyone. Donbass wants to live independently from Kiev, maybe from Ukraine entirely.
Was there ever the intention to fight to Kiev?
They haven’t taken the airports yet. They have never attacked the rear. Not even used sappers.
They fought as if explosives in roads were never invented. IED’s are how you stop armor at no cost of manpower.
Their primary goal was manned roadblocks, strong enough to stop civilian cars and buses.
This was never a guerrilla organization. It was a militarized border guard trying to secure safe havens and pretending they were fighting the regime.
My heart and donated money is with the people. I pray every night for the success of Donbass. But this was catastrophically conceived and stupidly timed. When I read of a militia man taking several grenades and diving under a small tank, blowing himself up to stop the advance and seeing he is 54 years old, it tears at you. This is tragedy and heroics for no possible good ending.
RF hasn’t even sent in Aid as it promised it will send in no matter what a few days ago, RF still give back UKR weapon until a few days ago which they could easily transfer to NRDF. US is spending a lot of money prop up UkR, why Can’t RF do same, and effectively?
The fine gentlemen criticising Mr. Putin should think ahead.Imagine that Mr.Putin sends tomorrow a helicopter and brings you into his HQ, then says; here you go, plan the whole strategy for the region, with long-term russian interests as the main objective , oh, and also dont start WW3.
And remember to minimise the civilian casualties.
Would you accept such a challenge?
I wouldnt.
A.Hilel
re: trolls
One key job is to have pseudo-debates amongst themselves. A good one might be “When did Putin decide to sell out Novorossiya?”
As for leaving Slavyansk, that was long overdue. The good news is that now all the folks on Akhmetov’s payroll or working for Kiev may not be able to sabotage Donetsk hopelessly. An obvious weakness of the whole rebellion has been a lack of organization, and the rather strong suspicion that far too many folks were getting money from folks who didn’t want things to succeed.
WWIII, get real. US bombing all corner of world, does not cause WWIII. RF arming Iraq, Syria, does not cause WWIII. But the minute RF support it own people at its border, then it will cause WWIII.
Point of view of a young from the Donbass. Very interesting point of view about the time of the former USSR, undoubtedly transmitted by their older relatives.
The text corroborates that, as many authors have pointed these months, which is taking place at the Donbass is class struggle.
Of course the image transmitting is bleak, a society degraded to the loss of the sense of self-worth as human beings and can help us understand why people are not ready for mass in the militia.
And, when one has been well degraded to subhuman status, it is difficult to even imagine that there can be and can you deserve something better.
The article, originally published in Liva, can be read, as always, also in Russian, using the link at the end.
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=186961
Now it is up to the people of Slavyansk. It is one thing to take a town, it is another to hold it when you have just bombed the people. Who can they trust? How long will their flag remain up if the people don’t want it?
@elsi
Thank you for this testimonial from a young man in Donbass.
in Spanish
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=186961
or in Russian
http://liva.com.ua/donbass-locuta.html
It is extraordinarily bleak. Shows no support of the militia, a sense of hopelessness and depression. Several lost generations, class struggle, no leadership. Drugs and alcohol and poverty, poor education. Quite a testimony from a young man who will stay because it is his land.
We can see why young men did not join the rebellion militias. Would be like going to a ghetto or barrio in the U.S. and trying to get young men to endanger their life for nothing in their pocket, just idealistic talk.
There was no sense in the article of ethnicity as the issue. It was all about corruption and poverty.
@Larchmonter445,
Ethnicity is the apology that uses fascism to enter effortlessly into a suitably degraded society, and that the people themselves who will suffer after their abuses, do the dirty work.
If the article seems important to understand the events in The Ukraine, while my blood run cold, then watching the situation in my country with large numbers of unemployed, enslaved by illegitimate debt, the picture that draws the young, Egor, could well be that of Spain in, say, 2 or 3 decades,when misery and poverty have made their work, if not remediated and fight now, when we are strong and maintain dignity, for a better world for all, not just a few.
Best regards
In fight we trust!