INVASION OF CRIMEA – March 21, 2014 – SUMMARY

Ukrainian troops morale “has reached a critical point” due to the duration of the conflict, hodgepoged mobilization, and politicization of the command and control.

Voices of Ukraine

Dmitry Tymchuk, Information Resistance

03.21.2014
Translated and edited by Voices of Ukraine

Information Resistance

Brothers and sisters!
Here is the summary for March 21 (for the summary from the previous day, see Summary of March 20).

The bad news:

1. The exhaustion of our troops in Crimea has reached a critical point. On their side, there is the feeling of complete indeterminacy, and the bitter realization that they have been betrayed. Kyiv’s response to this is still limited to stories about “political instruments” and “the need to keep standing strong.”

They’re not even harmonizing anymore. These songs hurt the ear and turn the stomach, and all they result in is a strong wish to take off the gloves and throw some punches. I don’t know what our troop formations in Crimea will look like by the morning. What I do know is – unless the leaders in Kyiv take…

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BRUSSELS FORUM 2014: UKRAINE FOREIGN MINISTER IS “READY TO TALK TO RUSSIA”

Hope persists for a solution through dialogue.

Brussels Diplomatic

On the opening day of the ninth Brussels Forum, Andrii Deshchytsia, acting foreign minister of Ukraine, said that Ukraine has not given up Crimea following the peninsula’s annexation by the Russian Federation. “The Crimea is not lost for us,” he said. But he also stressed that his country is seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis.

“We believe that it’s only through dialogue we can find a solution. We are ready to talk with Russians,” he said. “We are ready to talk about the existing crisis, the existing state of affairs. We are ready to talk about the Russian minority in Ukraine, the Russian language in Ukraine. We are ready to talk about the Constitution reform in the Ukraine, but only if it’s talks around the table, but not on the streets with the guns.”

Deshchytsia spoke at Brussels Forum, an annual conference on transatlantic relations organized by the…

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Ukrainian politicians “sanctioned” by Crimea’s occupiers

Sanctions are a boomerang.

Euromaidan PR

The occupiers of Crimea have initiated “sanctions” against some 200 Ukrainian politicians.

The Presidium of the self-proclaimed state council of Crimea has banned nearly 200 Ukrainian politicians from entering Crimea.

On Friday, March 21, a resolution was adopted regarding “persons engaged in anti-Crimean activities, whose presence on the territory of the republic is undesirable.” The resolution was a response to several decisions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

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Russia Will Allow International Monitors into Ukraine

100 OSCE investigators going into Ukraine – but not Crimea…

NATO’s Next Moves

How will NATO respond to the current crisis in Crimea – read this article to find out!

The Osint Journal Review

 

Interviewee: Christopher S. Chivvis, Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation
Interviewer: Jonathan Masters, Deputy Editor
March 20, 2014

The patch of the NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems aircraft attached to a soldier’s uniform.(Photo: Wolfgang Rattay/Courtesy Reuters)

 

Russia’s annexation of Crimea has placed NATO’s fundamental commitments to European security under the microscope. While the Pentagon and its allies havedeployed more aircraft to help police the skies over Eastern Europe, debate continues over what NATO should do next. Christopher S. Chivvis, a European security expert at the RAND Corporation, says a military response seems unlikely at this point, but the alliance has a number of options to try to check further Russian moves. NATO needs to reinforce its posture on the continent, he says, but “reassurance and deterrence need to be carefully calibrated and thought through.”

What are NATO’s responsibilities in Eastern Europe and its options for responding…

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GoPro Goes To War – Syrian Tanks Battle Rebels In Darayya

A unique perspective on the Syrian Civil War from the viewpoint of a T-72 Tank!

YouViewed/Editorial

Terrifying GoPro Video From Tanks In Syria’s War Zone

 

 

 

” Need a quick reminder as to why war should be avoided at all costs? Spend an hour in the driver’s seat of a Syrian Army T-72 tank column as it spews destruction through Syria’s Darayya warzone. Then watch the rebels destroying the tanks. Warning: Although you can’t see the bodies, fighters on both sides are dying. This footage may upset you.

Here’s a rundown of what’s going on here:

• Tanks attack a fortified Rebel stronghold 00:15
• Armored Russian infantry BMP and tanks fire on fortified positions 11:14
• Tanks get ambushed on route to a mission 18:26
• Fire support for the advancing infantry 30:54
• Tank gets destroyed by rebels 33:44
• Fire support near stronghold 42:47
• Protecting BMPs during a supply run 46:38
• Tank gets destroyed by rebels 41:07
• Tank gets destroyed by rebels 57:48 “

Thanks to Gizmodo/Sploid

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Commando training: Green beret quest ends with success

Good commentary on becoming a British Commando!

The Official British Army Blog

Sapper Ed Joseph with the Parker Trophy

Sapper Ed Joseph is an Army Reserve soldier from 131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (131 Indep Cdo Sqn RE), embarking on the Reserve Forces Commando Course (RFCC) at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM), Lympstone. He has two weeks in which to complete the gruelling course that, if successfully completed, will culminate in him earning the coveted green beret.

Crowning achievement

The story hasn’t quite finished! A ceremony was held the next day for an award called the Parker Trophy. This is presented for the best performance on a course for soldiers attending the Regular AACC. It is something which is not normally awarded to Reserve Forces unless the DS feel there has been a superior effort made.

Now it is hard to say this without sounding boastful, and I must make it clear that this is absolutely not my intent, but I…

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