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Russian Armed Forces directly involved in Donbas fighting, U.S. reports

Russian Armed Forces directly involved in Donbas fighting, U.S. reports

28 August 2014

The Russian Armed Forces are openly fighting Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (collectively known as Donbas), said on Aug. 27 Jen Psaki, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman. She characterized the Russian military operations as “a direct Russian counterattack” to Ukrainian forces, which involves tanks, rocket fire, and armored vehicles. Heavy armed fighting is occurring in the region of Donetsk city (population 950,000), and in the region between Mariupol (population 458,500) and the Russian border, she said.

 

The Russian Armed Forces have dispatched modern anti-aircraft systems to the Donbas region, which are being used in the fighting, tweeted on Aug. 28 U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. “The tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and reactive anti-aircraft systems being supplied by Russia aren’t enough to overcome Ukraine’s Armed Forces,” he said. “Now a larger part of the Russian armies are directly involved in the military activity on Ukraine’s territory.”

 

Russian army subdivisions are fighting in the Donbas war, Polish Prime Minster Donald Tusk told the Sejm on Aug. 27, citing Polish and NATO intelligence. He urged a careful response that involves support for Ukraine that doesn’t threaten Poland’s security. “For me, the Ukrainian problem is above all a problem of Poland’s security,” he said. The Polish government ought to promote its position among the international community and work towards increasing its influence on the politics of the EU and NATO, he said. Poland will step-by-step increase the presence of NATO forces in Poland, he said, also voicing his support for a proposal by Polish MPs to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2016.

 

Russian Armed Forces have taken control of the Donetsk region city of Novoazovsk, Volodymyr Shylov, a battalion commander, told the 5 Kanal television network. The town of 12,000 is surrounded by tanks, which have formed a blockade preventing traffic. The police force has been removed and the forces are preparing to evacuate its residents, he said.

 

Zenon Zawada: Ukraine’s Armed Forces had the momentum in the Donbas war and we expected a victory by October, the latest, assuming that the Russian Armed Forces wouldn’t change their strategy. This week, however, the Russians have made a clear decision to replace their support for pro-Russian separatists – who proved to be ineffective and disorganized – with their own commanders and soldiers.

 

This marks the transition from a Russian-sponsored separatist war to a direct attempt by the Russian government to occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The conflict has entered its most dangerous phase and has the potential for severe escalations, with harsher consequences for the Ukrainian economy.

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